


so your scent seeps deep into me

by xiuchenlay



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Claiming Bites, Fluff, Knotting, M/M, Smut, Strangers to Lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-29
Updated: 2019-11-29
Packaged: 2021-01-15 13:41:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 19,963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21254288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xiuchenlay/pseuds/xiuchenlay
Summary: A human being mated to a wolf was practically unheard of but Baekhyun is prepared to do anything to show Jongdae that they’re meant to be.





	so your scent seeps deep into me

**Author's Note:**

> wow so this was one hell of a ride. I never thought I would end up writing something this long as I set out with a goal of maybe 5k but it just grew into this. I’m actually really proud of this fic so I hope everyone enjoys reading it.
> 
> I have to thank the mods for being so patient with me and providing me with so many extensions. You are so kind and accommodating and really made this fest experience worthwhile.
> 
> Thank you to B who practically held my hand throughout the entire fic. This wouldn’t have been possible without you. You’re the best person in this entire world. 
> 
> Thank you to S who gave me amazing feedback and is the most amazing beta. Seriously, I don’t know what I did to deserve you.
> 
> To A, happy belated birthday 💕
> 
> This is for prompt #T11

The wooden table is cool beneath Baekhyun’s cheek as he drowses. His arms are wrapped around his head. They block out most of the outside world, at least enough for his eyes to droop heavily. Beside him, his best friend and packmate Kyungsoo pays him no mind as he actually uses the library for what it’s intended for—taking down notes and being overall productive. The light scratchy sound of Kyungsoo’s pencil on paper is what Baekhyun chooses to focus his sharp senses on, the repetitiveness lulling him further, calming background noise. With a tiny grumble, he shifts in his seat, leaning further onto the table and takes a deep breath. Thousands of scents flood his nose: ink, aging paper, Kyungsoo’s familiar smoky beta scent, the strong aroma of coffee in the cup on the table, his own standard body wa—

Mate. 

He stands suddenly, knocking over his chair and startling Kyungsoo as well as a beta walking past them. All of his senses sharpen to a razor point and he hears nothing, nostrils flaring and hooking on to that scent—the scent of his mate—like a bloodhound. Everything else is secondary, every one of his hairs standing on end. He follows the trail through the library, ignoring Kyungsoo calling after him, drunk off the rush in his veins. He narrowly avoids running into a few people, oblivious of the annoyed glares they send him afterwards.

Mate.

The ground floor of the library is slightly less busy, most of the printers and computers located on the floor he just left in a practical frenzy. Here, the scent is stronger and Baekhyun’s toes would curl in his shoes as he breathes it in again if he isn’t so adamant on finding the source. He has the barest bit of self control to not tap into his inner alpha to find it that much faster. Not that he needs it since the next second, he’s hit by a wall of that mouthwatering scent. A body crashes into his and his innate alpha strength keeps him steady but the other is nearly sent sprawling onto the floor. Baekhyun is quick to wrap an arm around their waist to keep them from falling and the contact has him choking on a breath.

Mine, mine, my mate, every fibre in his very being, down to the very last atom, is screaming at him that this wonderful person is his, is his true mate, the one person on the entire planet that is meant for him to have and to hold and the sheer thought is overwhelming.

“Shit, that was close,” says Baekhyun’s mate, his hand still firmly gripping Baekhyun’s bicep from when he had tried to catch himself from falling. His touch feels like it’s burning into Baekhyun’s skin and his voice is like a caress, deep and just right. They’re just about the same height, faces close. And his face, god, his face, has to be the prettiest he has ever seen. Thick long lashes frame dark eyes. His cheekbones are high, sharp and his lips are pink and curled like a kitten’s. 

Gorgeous. His mate is absolutely gorgeous. Pride swells in his chest and Baekhyun is so lost in tracing the shape of those lips that he doesn’t even realize they’re moving.

“Um excuse me?” A small hand waves in front of his face, obstructing his staring and stops once it’s apparent that Baekhyun is finally present. “Can you let me go now?”

“Hmm?” Baekhyun blinks dumbly. The words take a few moments to sink into his punch drunk brain. “Oh! Sorry.”

Then, he reluctantly removes his arm around his mate’s surprisingly tiny waist and steps back. His instincts are yelling at him to stay as close to his mate as possible but personal space is a thing and he’s very much not respecting his mate’s right now.

“Don’t worry about it,” His mate says, offering him a small grin that makes his eyes curve into crescents. Baekhyun swears his heart stops working because wow his smile is pretty too. Maybe that smile was so bright that it fried his brain and resultantly his brain to mouth filter or maybe everyone is this dumb when they meet their mate because he’s pretty sure he said that out loud. 

His mate simply throws his head back and laughs, loud, head thrown back and shoulders shaking and this actually can’t be. It’s impossible that everything someone does is pretty. He says that out loud too because the other simply laughs harder and Baekhyun wants the ground to swallow him up, except not because he doesn’t want to be anywhere his mate isn’t. He takes a few quiet breaths to compose himself and regain control of his mouth while his mate does the same to reign in his laughter. 

“That was smooth,” His voice is still airy with it as he regards Baekhyun with a raised brow. “Is that what you tell everyone you run into?”

“No,” Baekhyun finds the light flush on his cheeks endearing and he grins back at him, having regained some of his footing. “Not everyone.”

“Then who do you tell?” He challenges, as if waiting for Baekhyun to drop a cheesy or overdone line. 

“My mate,” Baekhyun answers, holding the other’s gaze firmly. His own words cause goosebumps to crawl up his spine; it’s the first time he’s said it out loud. Silence falls upon them for a moment. He watches straight brows furrow in confusion, causing a crease to form between them.

“You don’t really think I’ll fall for that right?” His mate snorts.

What? 

That...isn’t the reaction Baekhyun is expecting but now that he thinks about it, his mate hasn’t reacted much liked he expected whatsoever. Baekhyun himself is overjoyed, jittery, palms sweaty, heart racing in his chest but the other, besides a tad ruffled from his near fall, is oddly calm. He would simply know who Baekhyun was just by his scent. The second a wolf scents their mate, they just know that this person right here is the one made just for them unless...

Baekhyun takes in a deep breath, filling his lungs with the scent of his mate and ah, there it is, underneath the prominent and distracting parts of his scent that called out to him:

“You’re human,” Baekhyun states more than asks but the other nods anyways.

Oh. 

Oh. 

Baekhyun isn’t expecting that. He isn’t expecting that at all. He senses it clearly now: the slower heart rate, lower core body temperature. This changes things. It changes a lot. Shit, when was the last time he even heard about a human/wolf mated pair? Was it an article he read a few years ago? It was about a couple in Europe, he thinks.

“I am,” His mate affirms, completely unaware of the miniature internal meltdown Baekhyun is going through. He places his hands in the pockets of his jacket. “Did your superior wolf nose stop working or something? I thought you could tell that from a mile away.”

“No, it’s working just fine,” Baekhyun responds, forcing himself to come back to the present. Better than fine, he adds in his head, catching notes of saccharine peach that nearly make him sigh. “It’s having kind of a hard time focusing on that when all I can smell right now is you. You’re my mate.”

He has no choice but to spell it out because the man before him doesn’t have a superior wolf nose and therefore can’t smell how true the statement is. 

“You said that before,” He crosses his arms and rolls his eyes. “Look, I don’t have time for this. I need to go to class. Have a nice day.”

He tries to step past him but Baekhyun is quicker, slim panicked fingers grabbing his arm and stopping him.

“Wait!” When his mate slightly turns to him with a questioning tilt of his head, Baekhyun finds himself scrambling to not have him slip through his fingers. “Can I have your number?”

Dark eyes study him long enough for Baekhyun to start feel his cheeks heat up under the attention. He shifts his weight from one foot to another, anxiety growing in his chest the longer the silence stretches, but he’s not about to lose this chance. 

“Please?”

His voice comes out pitchier than he’d like but it seems to soften some of his mate’s wariness, the corner of his mate’s mouth quirking into a small smile. 

“Sure.”

Baekhyun practically drops his phone pulling it out of his pocket. When he hands his phone to the other, their fingers brush and the brief touch sends shivers up his arm. If his mate felt the same, he hides it well, licking his dry lips absentmindedly as he types in his number and name.

“I’m Baekhyun, by the way,” Baekhyun says, averting his eyes from his face to the screen to avoid staring like a creep. 

“Jongdae,” Jongdae responds and is quick to give Baekhyun back his phone. “Gotta go now. Nice meeting you.”

This time Baekhyun does nothing to stop him when he leaves, uttering a soft bye. Damn, he thinks as he watches him walk away, eyes drawn downward, he has a perfect ass. The casual swing of his hips is hypnotizing. He stares long after he disappears from sight, mind racing with countless thoughts. He garners more than a few odd looks, standing in the middle of the hall with the dumbest grin on his face. Kyungsoo must be wondering where he went, if he’s not already looking for him. But none of that matters, not when he found his mate. 

His very human mate, but his mate nonetheless. Sure, that fact complicates things considering Jongdae doesn’t believe him. But Baekhyun can be very convincing when he wants to be.

* * *

Jongdae’s eating a quick dinner—greasy takeout fried chicken, courtesy of his roommate Sehun—and scrolling absentmindedly through twitter when he receives a text message from an unknown number. 

>>hey ＠＾▽＾＠

>>it’s baekhyun, from this morning

Jongdae snorts at the use of the very extra emoji. He didn’t really need to have his memory jogged, Baekhyun has managed to stay on his mind for the majority of the day. Jongdae’s curious as to why he waited so long to text him. He wipes his greasy fingers on a napkin before he replies.

hey :)<<

>>what are you up to? 

I’m almost done eating, you?<<

>>damn

>>tell me…what are the chances that you happen to still be hungry?

Jongdae’s eyebrows tilt in confusion at the question but answers truthfully, easily able to go for the leftover pizza they have in the fridge.

Quite high. My friends say I have a black hole for a stomach<<

why?<<

The typing bubble pops up and Jongdae watches curiously. 

>>i wanted to know if you were down to go to a cafe with me? 

>>coffee and cake on me? uwu

This guy…

Jongdae lets out an amused little laugh. Warmth and flattery pools in his stomach. Teeth digging into his bottom lip, he contemplates the offer. On one hand, he can’t help but deny that he is attracted to Baekhyun. Who wouldn’t be? With his pouty lips and puppy eyes, not to mention the sheer strength in his biceps and torso Jongdae felt when Baekhyun had caught him, it was enough to make anyone a little hot under the collar. 

On the other hand…

that depends<<

are you still convinced that we’re mates?<<

The reply is immediate.

>>yes. 

Discomfort and apprehension twists in in Jongdae’s chest. 

>>I know you don’t know me but I would never joke about that.

>>just...let’s meet for coffee. Please? It would be easier to talk face to face. 

And maybe Jongdae is weak for puppy eyes even when they’re not actively being used on him because he finds himself agreeing. 

* * *

Baekhyun finds himself in front of the on campus cafe in record time. His packhouse isn’t quite far from campus but it might as well have been seconds away with the way he all but sprinted. He barely even realized that he had tapped into his wolf speed, a bundle of nerves. Wiping his sweaty palms on his light wash jeans, he pulls out his phone and checks the time. He’s early. He and Jongdae had agreed on 8:00pm. It’s currently 7:45pm. He flounders for a moment, unsure if he should wait for him outside or grab them a spot inside. He dismisses the first thought as quickly as it came.

Of course you should wait inside, Baekhyun tells himself. He shakes his head slightly in hopes that that will get rid of some of the idiocy he’s showcasing. 

The air in the cafe is warmer than the outdoors, the September chill prompting people to dress in layers and nurse a warm cup between their palms. The cafe isn’t as busy given the later hour so Baekhyun easily throws his hoodie over one of the more private booths to claim it and heads to greet a familiar face behind the counter. 

“Hey Yixing hyung!” Baekhyun calls and the fellow alpha spins around with a wet cloth in his hand. 

“Baekkie!” His packmate smiles broadly, signature dimple fully on display. He leans his forearms on the front counter by the register. “Couldn’t wait for your favourite hyung to get home?”

“Don’t let Junmyeon hyung hear you call yourself that,” Baekhyun says with a smirk, mentioning their pack leader. It was a running joke and Yixing never failed to claim that he was Baekhyun’s favourite if only for the way Junmyeon would get bothered by it. Baekhyun never did agree with Yixing...nor did he disagree. Not that he actually has a favourite.

“He isn’t here now, is he?” Yixing’s grin takes on a conspiratorial edge and he leans in, lowering his voice. “You can tell me the truth, I can keep a secret.”

Normally, Baekhyun would play along, adding to the playful conversation but now, the anxiety building in his stomach all he can manage is a weak laugh.

“I found my mate,” he blurts out and Yixing’s eyebrows raise in shock. “He’s meeting me here in, um, a few minutes. Shit, I feel like I’m going to pass out.”

Yixing is over the counter in a second, pulling Baekhyun into the employee’s room and into a firm hug. He rubs his cold hand up and down Baekhyun’s spine. 

“Congratulations,” He says softly and Baekhyun melts into the reassuring hold. Baekhyun buries his nose in his neck and inhales deeply, breathing in the smell of rain. He may not have a favourite hyung, but he does have a favourite scent—well second favourite now that he happened upon Jongdae’s. 

“Thanks hyung,” his voice is muffled by skin but it does nothing to tone down the gratitude weighing it. 

“I expect to hear the entire story later,” Yixing softly pushes Baekhyun away to hold him at arm’s length and regard him warmly. “Now, you’re going to breathe, go out there and wait for him. Then, you’re going to woo this little mate of yours and show him you’re the best alpha he could ask for.”

The sharp edges of his anxiety are somewhat rounded by the advice but the main issue stubbornly remains.

“He’s human.”

That clearly trips Yixing up a little and his mouth rounds into an ‘o’ of surprise. Baekhyun can practically see the gears turning in his head as he digests the information. But then, to Baekhyun’s surprise, his previous dimpled smile returns full force.

“That changes nothing,” Yixing assures with a soft pat to his cheek. Before Baekhyun even has a chance to register what the words, the hair on the back of his neck suddenly stands as his finely attuned senses notice a familiar presence walk into the shop.

“He’s here,” Baekhyun breathes in wonder.

“Then let’s get out of here.” Yixing turns him around and coaxes him back out.

Sure enough, Jongdae is standing by the counter, bottom lip between his teeth as he scans the inside of the cafe for any sign of Baekhyun. He’s a gorgeous sight in thigh-hugging light wash denim and a soft pink long sleeved sweater. When he finally sees Baekhyun, his mouth curves into a tentative smile and he gives him a small wave with a hand mostly hidden by his too-long sleeve. It takes Baekhyun a beat too long to approach him with his own smile, nearly rooted in place if Yixing hadn’t given him a light nudge in his direction.

“Hey,” He says, a little more breathless than he intends. This close, Jongdae’s addicting scent is hitting him full force and frankly, it’s more than a little dizzying. 

“Hi,” Jongdae replies shyly.

Baekhyun swallows to ease some of his nerves. “Did you want to get a drink?”

Jongdae nods and they order, Yixing’s grin smug the entire time but the packmates (tacitly) agree that now might not be the best time for introductions. Jongdae argues against letting pay Baekhyun for his drink but Baekhyun is quicker in handing Yixing the 10 000 ₩ bill (and Yixing is quick to grab it). 

“If it bothers you so much, just pay next time,” Baekhyun says with a wink as he pockets his change. To that, Jongdae isn’t quite sure what to respond so they stand in silence while Yixing prepares their drinks—two hot chocolates. The smile he sends Yixing when he hands them their orders is much wider than the one Baekhyun received. 

Unreasonable jealousy burns in Baekhyun’s gut but he shoves the feeling down. Just because his inner wolf is insecure about his mate smiling at another alpha, doesn’t mean he has to be too. He’s heard that the pre-bonding stages of mating for alpha’s involved lots of posturing and possessiveness but jeez, it was a damn smile. 

Oblivious to the inner turmoil his smile has caused Baekhyun, Jongdae walks beside him as he leads him to the booth he had reserved with his hoodie haphazardly thrown over the table. Baekhyun pushes his hoodie out of the way and settles into the booth with Jongdae taking the seat across from him. The subsequent silence is awkward and heavy, full of things that need to be said but neither of them know how to say. 

Baekhyun is the one who musters up the courage to cut into the silence first after taking a sip of his warm beverage. He was the one who invited Jongdae here to talk.

“How much do you know...about mating?” Baekhyun asks cautiously, easing them into the subject. He watches Jongdae digest the question, his straight eyebrows tilting in consideration.

“Enough? I think?” Jongdae licks his lips. “Wolves have their true mate or mates and they can tell them apart from everyone else by scent alone. But I’ve never heard of a human and a wolf mating…”

“It happens,” Baekhyun’s voice is the most confident it’s been all night. After meeting Jongdae this morning, he all but rushed to look up as many cases as he could, letting out a breath he never even realized he was holding when his search assured him that it was possible. “It’s rare. But it happens.”

Jongdae’s quiet for a long time, eyes flickering about Baekhyun’s features as if searching for the slightest hint of untruth. 

“But how do I know you’re telling the truth?” Jongdae frowns. “You have your nose, your instincts, telling you that we’re meant to be. What do I have?”

Ah, the million dollar question.

“Have you heard of the Wolf Moon Jongdae?” Baekhyun asks suddenly and evidently, Jongdae is caught off guard by the question, blinking in surprise.

“In passing.” He narrows his eyes at the alpha, a furrow in his brow. “Why? What does that have to do with anything?”

Baekhyun’s question isn’t aimless and he quirks the corner of his mouth as he explains.

“Everything. The Wolf Moon is the one full moon a year where we’re forced to shift into our wolf form. You need to ride out the entire full moon. Nothing can stop the process.” Baekhyun holds Jongdae’s gaze, the human’s dark eyes eagerly absorbing the new information but still a tad unsure of where he’s going with it. “...nothing but your mate.”

Jongdae makes a small sound of surprise. Baekhyun ploughs on.

“The touch of your mate could bring you back even mid-shift.”

“So, all I need to do to know if you’re really my...mate is touch you during the Wolf Moon?” Jongdae questions. He’s still sceptical. Baekhyun can hear the doubt in his voice but he came prepared for that. “When is it?”

“January 10th,” Baekhyun tells him and watches about twenty different emotions cross Jongdae’s face, namely frustration and shock. He’s quick to try and reassure him, speaking softly. “I know, I know, that’s months away. Trust me, if I could make it tomorrow, I would.” He sighs heavily, running his fingers through his vibrant red hair. “We can’t do anything about it being so far away but in the meantime, if you’d let me, I’d like to court you.”

“C-court me?” Jongdae’s cheeks flush a pretty pink as he stammers at the sudden request. He lets out a nervous laugh. It takes him a second but he composes himself and tilts his head. “You’re really sure that we’re mates huh?”

“More sure than I have ever been about anything in my entire life,” Baekhyun says so solemnly, it only causes Jongdae to blush harder; something he considers a personal victory. Jongdae tongues at his cheek and Baekhyun drinks as he lets him sort through his thoughts.

“Okay,” He finally nods, a careful smile on his lips. “I’ll let you court me—”

Elation bursts in Baekhyun’s chest and he finds himself breaking into a broad grin. Jongdae holds out his hand in pause.

“But if I say we need to slow things down, we slow things down. All this wolf stuff, is,” he huffs, “really overwhelming.”

“Of course,” Baekhyun can’t agree to quick enough. Not taking into account Jongdae’s comfort never even crossed his mind. He’s just about ready to do anything to make this easier for him. “You call the shots. If you feel anything is too much, or you need to slow down, just tell me and we will.”

Jongdae thanks him genuinely, eyes curving and they don’t linger much longer than that. When they step outside, the sky is dark and starless and the wind sharp and biting. Baekhyun barely feels the crisp air but Jongdae shivers. His sweater, while not thin, isn’t the thickest either and Baekhyun is offering him his hoodie without a second thought.

“Won’t you be—” Jongdae starts asking, looking from the hoodie to Baekhyun.

“It takes a lot more than this to get me cold,” Baekhyun shrugs, now clad only in a Supreme t-shirt. “Take it, please.”

Jongdae hesitates, but only for a second, taking the offered hoodie and shrugging it on. They look the same size at first glance but Baekhyun’s shoulders are much broader it turns out, the hoodie adorably oversized on Jongdae’s slighter frame. 

“Thanks,” Jongdae says with a crooked grin. The hood is causing his black hair to fall over his eyes messily and, not for the first time, Baekhyun finds himself internally swooning. “I should get going...I’ll text you.”

Baekhyun is itching to ask if he could walk him to his dorm but he bites his tongue, not wanting to push any more boundaries tonight. It was a lot...for the both of them and Jongdae looks like he could use some time alone with his thoughts.

Instead, he says, “Text me when you get home so I know you got in okay.”

Jongdae nods and after they say their goodbyes, Baekhyun watches him go. He’s unable to feel truly disappointed that he’s not walking him to his dorm, not when Jongdae had just agreed to be courted by him and is currently walking home enveloped on his hoodie and in his scent. 

Baby steps, Baekhyun tells himself, satisfied that any wolf in the vicinity would be able to smell his own cinnamon spice layered over Jongdae’s sweeter scent, not as strong as a blatant scent mark but impossible to overlook. 

Baby steps.

* * *

Maybe Jongdae missed the memo but he had no idea allowing Baekhyun to court him would involve Baekhyun showing up at his doorstep at ass o’clock in the morning. Jongdae isn’t even dressed yet, clad in only his boxers and a loose sleep shirt and he feels a little exposed. He hasn’t even been awake for a full 5 minutes, sleep stubbornly clinging to him as he blinks in surprise. The only reason he doesn’t slam the door in his face is the bag of breakfast Baekhyun’s holding up in one hand and the two coffees in the other.

The grin on his face is telling. He knows that the promise of greasy breakfast will easily win Jongdae over. 

“Um, why are you here?” Jongdae asks him, grumbling but letting him in all the same.

“To feed you then walk you to class,” Baekhyun tells him, a little too cheerful for the morning. If Jongdae knew giving him his schedule would result in Baekhyun walking him to class, maybe he would have thought twice. A tiny part of him insists that he finds the gesture cute but he pushes that part away. He leads them to the small kitchen area where Baekhyun sets the food out on the table.

“Let me just...put on some pants,” Jongdae feels his face heat up. He appreciates the way Baekhyun keeps his eyes from wandering and heads to his room to pull on the nearest pair of sweatpants.

Over the course of the weekend, the two found themselves texting often. At first Jongdae was worried things would be awkward and stilted what with the heavier circumstances surrounding their budding relationship but surprisingly the conversations flowed well. Baekhyun never allowed their texts to become dry and Jongdae often found himself stifling his laughter behind his hand at something he said. They have a lot in common from artists they listen to (both were suckers for emotional ballads) to favourite types of food (spicy was a no-go). 

They share a love for fast food breakfast and it’s obvious in the way they eagerly dig in when Jongdae returns. Baekhyun seems to understand that Jongdae isn’t up to talking yet so they eat in silence. The warmth in Jongdae’s belly has absolutely nothing to do with the heat of the coffee and everything to do with the fact that there is just the right amount of sugar and milk in it. Even his breakfast order is his go-to. He had mentioned his preferences only in passing and Baekhyun taking the time to suit them has Jongdae biting his lip to keep a grin from breaking out on his face.

“Thank you,” Jongdae says when all that’s left of his meal is the grease on the wrapper and a sip at the bottom of his cup. He feels much more awake, caffeine doing its job and working through his system. 

“Anything for you,” Baekhyun replies with a smile that makes butterflies erupt in Jongdae’s stomach. He’s so frustratingly attractive, even in a simple oversized hoodie and track pants that would look sloppy on anyone else but on him it only succeeds in making him look sporty and casual. 

“You’re so cheesy,” Jongdae huffs, cringing and changes the subject quickly. “Let me get ready.”

He gets up to start clearing the table but Baekhyun stops him. 

“I’ll clean up, you don’t want to be late,” Baekhyun offers and the thoughtfulness makes Jongdae’s lips quirk. With a nod, Jongdae leaves him be to get ready. He’s not one to put much effort in how he looks when he starts so early so when he’s leaving his dorm room, it’s in a hoodie and the same sweatpants he had on before.

“Is that my hoodie?” Baekhyun asks as Jongdae’s locking up, giving him a once over. Jongdae glances down at him himself and sure enough, he’s wearing the same hoodie Baekhyun had lent him the other night. He hadn’t even realized, having thrown on the first one he saw. 

“Oh? It is,” Jongdae scratches at the back of his neck sheepishly. “I can give it back to you and go grab another one quickly.”

“No, no it’s fine,” Baekhyun protests. “I don’t mind. Besides, you look good in it.”

Jongdae quickly learns that Baekhyun’s a terrible flirt and he seems to make it his mission to fluster Jongdae as much as he possibly can in their short walk together. He even takes his bag from him, though not without protest from Jongdae. By the time they reach his class, Jongdae feels like he has a permanent flush on his cheeks from all the flirting and unintentional (or intentional?) hand brushing. Seemingly, Baekhyun takes mercy on him and says bye with a little wave and a dumb grin Jongdae is sure he’s mirroring. 

The dumb grin is still on his face when he walks into class and takes his usual seat. His chest feels so full it might burst. He buries his head in his arms and unleashes a quiet groan that gets muffled by the fabric of his—Baekhyun’s—hoodie. The groan tapers off into a small sigh and then he’s inhaling the soft cinnamon scent Jongdae deduced to be Baekhyun’s. It still lingers on the hoodie despite the fact that a few days have passed since the latter wore it. The scent is soothing in his opinion, and he finds himself wondering if hugging Baekhyun would result in him being enveloped by it.

The thought is rather sudden and he’s surprised by it but he has no time to delve further because the next thing he knows, his professor is walking in and beginning the lecture. 

  
  


The week is spent seeing each other for short moments like the walk from Jongdae’s dorm to his classes and longer ones such as grabbing lunch in the cafeteria or a coffee together in the on-campus cafe. Jongdae officially meets Yixing during their second visit to the cafe. Baekhyun introduces him as his loving hyung and packmate and Yixing spends the next ten minutes teasing him about how much he talks about Jongdae. Baekhyun can’t get them out of there quick enough. The redness on both their cheeks has nothing to do with the crisp wind. 

Saturday has Jongdae taking apart his closet in search of something to wear. Baekhyun will be picking him up in half an hour for their date. It’s safe to say Jongdae is more than a little nervous. He had all these expectations in his head about what courting consisted of; Wolves take mating extremely seriously and it somewhat terrifies Jongdae. He’s so out of his depth. He wasn’t born knowing that he had a soulmate somewhere out there, not like Baekhyun was. The more time they spend together, the more his apprehension eases, but he can’t shake his insecurities regarding the fact that he is human among wolves. 

There’s the possibility that Baekhyun is lying to him and he wouldn’t even be able to tell for another few months. A part of him says that Baekhyun’s going through a lot of trouble for a lie. With that thought in his head, he slips on a pair of tight black jeans, doing a tiny shimmy to drag it over his ass, and a white turtleneck. Leather ankle boots are next, along with a long grey jacket. 

“Where are you going?” Sehun asks curiously, seemingly appearing out of nowhere and leaning on the wall with his arms crossed.

“Just out with a…” Jongdae hesitates in the middle of fixing his hair in his full length mirror. “Friend.”

Sehun narrows his eyes. “I know all your friends.”

“Not this one. He’s a new friend,” Jongdae says dismissively and deems his hair acceptable. He already has one foot out the door when he says bye to a still-suspicious Sehun, avoiding anymore questions. Knowing Sehun, he’ll probably get interrogated when gets back.

Jongdae isn’t sure what he’s expecting when he goes outside but it sure isn’t Baekhyun looking like an entire meal in ripped jeans and a leather jacket that emphasizes the broadness of his shoulders, leaning against a sleek deep red motorcycle. The sight is more than enough to have heat flare in Jongdae’s stomach.

“Wow,” Jongdae says in awe of both the bike and how attractive Baekhyun is. “I didn’t know you had one.”

“It never came up.” Baekhyun shrugs. “Besides, I haven’t had a chance to take it out lately and thought this was a good opportunity as any.”

“I’ve never been on one before,” Jongdae admits, eyeing the bike in curiosity more than anything else.

“Don’t worry. I’m a great driver.” Baekhyun winks at him before handing him a second helmet from beneath the seat. He helps him put it on, despite Jongdae being perfectly capable of putting it on himself. When both of them are helmeted, Baekhyun straddles his bike and Jongdae climbs on behind him. He wraps his arms around Baekhyun’s torso, pressed close and he bites his lip when Baekhyun brings a hand over his clasped ones.

“Ready?” Baekhyun squeezes his hands and Jongdae squeezes his arms around him with a small yeah in response. Then they’re off, the engine roaring beneath them. He clings to Baekhyun tightly, unsure if it’s to feel more of the warmth seeping through Baekhyun’s jacket or because of the speed they’re travelling at. He finds that he doesn’t care why, just lets himself feel, feel the solid body impossibly close to his, the rumble of the engine beneath him.

When they finally come to a stop, Jongdae needs a moment to reorient himself and Baekhyun helps him off. When they’re both helmetless, hair in disarray, Baekhyun looks to him expectantly.

“So? Did you like it?”

“It was so much fun!” Jongdae can still feel the phantom purr of the engine reverberate through him, veins rushing with adrenaline. His smile is wide and Baekhyun stares. “It almost felt like I was flying.”

“We’ll go again, before it starts snowing. I’ll take you to a strip of highway at night.” Baekhyun promises, nudging him in the shoulder and taking his hand. His hand is warm and soft and Jongdae feels more than a little giddy. “If you think I was going fast before, just wait till then.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” Jongdae’s tone is playful and so is his laugh when Baekhyun crosses his heart. 

Jongdae’s eyes widen when he sees where Baekhyun has taken him. 

“A pottery cafe?” Jongdae asks in excitement. He’s heard of these cafes where you could paint and decorate your own mugs, plates, figurines. He thought it was the cutest idea but he never found the time to actually visit. 

“Yeah,” Baekhyun’s smile is sheepish. He lets out a nervous laugh. “I mean I figured since you major in illustration and love to draw, you would like it here.”

The thought put behind picking the location is enough to make an overwhelming amount of butterflies flutter in Jongdae’s stomach. Baekhyun is always so thoughtful and apparently never forgets a thing Jongdae says, as if even the most menial thing is important. Never has Jongdae ever been pursued with such intensity and it’s very overwhelming but very exciting at the same time. 

“It’s perfect,” Jongdae tells him, the curve of his mouth and the squeeze of his hand appreciative. He prides himself in the small blush he’s able to pull out of Baekhyun. 

The cafe is perfect; the interior quaint and simple, a vast array of paint and supplies lining one wall. Couples and groups of friends alike fill the air with a pleasant chatter. They’re seated in a corner and are quick to order. The cafe doesn’t offer actual meals but the flaky pastries are buttery enough to sate them for now...especially when you have several. When their plates are polished, they pick out mugs and paint.

“What are you thinking of doing?” Jongdae asks, looking over at Baekhyun, who’s collected an array of yellows and blues beside him. He himself is a little stumped, staring at the blank canvas that is the white surface of the mug. 

“The sun and the sky,” Baekhyun says, squeezing a decent amount of sky blue paint onto his palette. He grabs a larger brush then looks at Jongdae with his signature rectangular grin. “It reminds me of you.”

Jongdae tilts his head, fiddling with his own paintbrush. A crease forms between his straight brows.

“How does it remind you of me?”

“Well...” Baekhyun lets out a small ehehe that Jongdae finds more than endearing. “Your smile is just so pretty, it reminds me of sunshine, and you’re such a warm person. Your presence is so radiant, it has me a little bit in awe. Need I go on?”

Jongdae feels his face go warm and he’s sure his blush is quite apparent on his cheeks. How the hell is he supposed to keep it together when Baekhyun is speaking to him like that? 

“You’re so full of shit,” He grumbles out, very pointedly looking down at his mug and not at Baekhyun. He knocks his shoe against Baekhyun’s in mock annoyance and Baekhyun uses it as an opportunity to take Jongdae’s foot between his own. The small contact makes Jongdae’s heart flutter, biting back a smile. 

He can feel Baekhyun’s eyes on him. Baekhyun decides not to push and changes the subject instead. “So, what are you going to paint?”

Jongdae is thankful for the way Baekhyun seems to always know when he’s toeing the line of Jongdae’s boundaries and backs off, waiting for him to give him the green light or slow things down. He looks at his mug for a second longer and comes up with nothing.

“No idea,” Jongdae shrugs, looking up to see Baekhyun with a soft look in his eyes that the former will not think about right now.

“Hmm,” Baekhyun taps his lip with the other end of the paintbrush. He winks cheesily. “You can always paint me like one of your French girls.”

“No thank you,” Jongdae gives him an unimpressed look. “Just work on your own before the paint dries. I’ll think of something.”

“Let me know if you change your mind. I can always pose for you.” 

“I’ll let you know,” Jongdae laughs, shaking his head. 

With that, Baekhyun starts on painting his mug blue and Jongdae is left trying to figure something out. He’s no stranger to a creative block, having spent hours agonizing over a drawing or art piece worth 40% of his final grade multiple times over the course of his major. With a sigh, he looks around for a possible of inspiration. His eyes land on Baekhyun who has a small furrow between his brows. Baekhyun’s already pouty lips are pouted even further in concentration as he paints carefully.

The sudden urge to smooth the furrow with his thumb and subsequently take Baekhyun’s bottom lip between his teeth hits Jongdae with surprising strength. He pushes the urge down, bottles it up, and tightens the cap to be revisited...later. Once that is out of the way, he can’t help but notice how much Baekhyun reminds him of a puppy at the moment.

He chuckles quietly to himself, an idea crossing his mind.

Unknowingly, nearly two hours pass, the two lost in the press of brush and colour upon ceramic. Jongdae is somewhat quicker, his trained hand putting finishing touches with a tiny detail brush. In front of him, Baekhyun lets out a frustrated sound, grabbing a wet paper towel to dab his mistake away. 

“What’s wrong?” Jongdae asks, looking up from where he’s carefully shading a cloud.

“I can’t get my outline right. My hand shakes and it ends up squiggly.” There’s that pout again, but this time it’s preceded by a sigh. 

“Can I?” Jongdae puts down his own and nods his head towards Baekhyun’s.

“Be my guest.” Baekhyun carefully hands his mug over along with the small detail brush. “It’s the outline of the sun.”

The painting before him is of a perfectly blue sky with clouds and a sun...with a face? A face with a mouth not unlike the (─‿‿─) emoji.

“Is this—is this supposed to be me?” Jongdae asks, incredulous, brows raised.

“Your mouth has little kitty curls and your eyes curve,” Baekhyun confirms with a coo and it draws loud laughter from Jongdae. Jongdae tries to stop himself from making that exact face, but can’t help how his face turns into exactly what Baekhyun described.

“See, there it is,” Baekhyun coos.

Jongdae shakes his shoulders cutely and whines in protest, “Baekkk.”

Baekhyun puts his hand over his heart and groans theatrically, “What am I supposed to do with myself when my mate is so damn cute?”

“Suffer.” Jongdae sticks out his tongue, ignoring the sudden nervousness that comes with the word mate. Instead, he focuses on tracing a thin line of orange on the edges of the sun with steady hands. When he’s done, he shows the finished product to Baekhyun, who lets out a sound of awe.

“How did you get it so perfect?” Baekhyun takes it back to examine it carefully, taking in the precision with which Jongdae painted.

“I wouldn’t be much of an artist if I couldn’t trace a simple outline, would I?” Jongdae shrugs with a half smile. 

“Well then, let’s see what our artist has painted,” Baekhyun waggles his eyebrows and Jongdae lets him reach over to grab his mug. On it is a star-filled midnight sky with a large pale moon the focal point. On a hill of dark grass is a canine of some sort, clearly howling at the moon.

“Hey, it’s me right?” Baekhyun asks, clearly overjoyed when Jongdae confirms that the canine is, in fact, him. Upon further inspection though, he narrows his eyes at the painting, suspicious. “Wait a second—is that a dog?? I’m a wolf Jongdae, a wolf!”

Jongdae can’t help but cackle, turning heads but he couldn’t care less not when Baekhyun’s has the most insulted expression on his face. Baekhyun grumbles even on their way home but at this point he’s just being a baby. Jongdae easily defuses that facade with a small purposeful squeeze around Baekhyun’s middle as they ride back to the dorms. When Baekhyun removes his helmet, he’s clearly fighting back a smile. 

Baekhyun walks Jongdae to the entrance of his dorm, the two hand in hand.

“So,” Jongdae says when they reach the entrance. The moon is out, along with the stars, the only source of light besides street lamps. 

“Thank you.” His curled lips curl even more, curving his eyes, showing his singular dimple. “For taking me there. I had a lot of fun.”

“I’m glad.” Baekhyun mirrors his wide smile, squeezing his smaller hand. “I had fun too.”

Jongdae would be blind not to notice how pretty Baekhyun is, especially underneath the light of the street lamps, his lips invitingly pink and eyes dark, hypnotizing. He would also be stupid to ignore the way the warmth of his palm makes his heart beat just that much faster. It would be incredibly easy to just lean in and press his lips to Baekhyun’s, to see if they were as soft as they looked.

He gives in to the urge...partially, kissing Baekhyun’s cheek softly and lingering long enough to hear Baekhyun’s breath hitch.

“Good night,” He says, voice low and he heads inside, leaving Baekhyun standing in the entrance.

* * *

Baekhyun stands there, dumbfounded. He brings his fingers to brush lightly across where Jongdae’s curled lips pressed into his skin. It feels like electricity is running through his veins, finally having his mates lips on him. The spot feels tingly.

“Fucking Kim Jongdae,” He says in disbelief once he’s capable of higher brain function. He lets his head fall back, looking at the night sky, and laughs, incredulous. “You’ll be the death of me.”

  
  


When he walks into his packhouse, it’s with the stupidest smile on his face. He throws himself onto his bed almost immediately and gets the urge to scream into his pillow like a teenage girl. Instead, he simply buries his face in it, as if the fluffiness could lessen the way his chest feels like it wants to pop. He’s heard of how a relationship with your mate was much more intense but he didn’t expect it to be to this extent.

“I take it your date went well,” comes a voice by his door.

Baekhyun rolls over to see both Yixing and Kyungsoo by the foot of his bed. He scoots over to make room for the both of them. It’s a single bed but they manage to fit, sandwiching Baekhyun between them.

“Guys,” Baekhyun sighs out dreamily, face buried in Yixing’s chest. “It went amazing.”

Kyungsoo is a welcomed weight against his back, fingers playing with Baekhyun’s soft red hair. 

“He kissed my cheek,” Baekhyun continues, instinctively rubbing his cheek on Yixing’s clothes to let his own cinnamon scent cling to his packmate. Kyungsoo does the same to Baekhyun’s shoulder. “You didn’t see how beautiful he looked in his turtleneck, I just wanted to take him in my arms and never let go.”

His packmates let him wax poetic about his mate’s eyelashes, thighs, smile, laugh, while enveloping him in a bubble of their familiar soothing scents. They chime in with appropriate ahh’s and ooo's just to let him know that they’re still listening but he mostly just rambles on his own.

“You’re this smitten now Baek, just from a kiss on the cheek,” Yixing says, teasing once Baekhyun’s gushing has slowed down. “How are you going to survive when you actually kiss?”

Baekhyun groans as the thought of curled lips against his invades his mind. “I won’t, I think I’ll die.”

That draws out laughter from Kyungsoo and Yixing, the latter of which Baekhyun feels more than hears vibrate through the chest beneath his cheek. The two cuddle and tease Baekhyun until tiredness takes a hold of all of them and they fall asleep tangled, Baekhyun with a smile on his face.

  
  


From then on, Baekhyun feels more confident in his advances, less scared that a small hug or a kiss on the cheek will send Jongdae running. In fact, it has the opposite effect. One morning, when the urge to hug Jongdae is particularly strong, Baekhyun simply acts on it—how the hell is any sane person supposed to resist Jongdae in an oversized hoodie and messy hair, and Baekhyun’s own hoodie at that? He wraps his arms around Jongdae’s lithe frame and pulls him close. It takes a few seconds for Jongdae to react–most likely one of the most stressful moments of Baekhyun’s life–but he eventually hugs him back, leaning his head on Baekhyun’s shoulder with a small good morning.

Baekhyun is dizzy with the scent of his mate so, so close. It’s the most amazing scent he’s ever had the luck of coming across. No one can blame him when he inhales slightly just to get another rush of it.

“Good morning,” he says, voice a tad affected. Maybe it’s his lightheadedness that is making him braver, or maybe he simply wants to push his luck, because he finds himself asking Jongdae if he can scent mark him. 

His inner alpha has been struggling with the fact that he hasn’t marked him officially yet, hasn’t coated him with his pheromones that told every other wolf to stay away. He’s been able to appease his inner alpha by giving Jongdae his hoodies, which still smelled very much like him, but it’s getting harder to resist the longer they go on.

“Sure,” Jongdae tells him easily. Baekhyun doesn’t need to be told twice, rubbing his cheek on his shoulder. He does the other shoulder too, going over it twice for extra measure. He stops to sniff at his work and is filled with pride and satisfaction; Jongdae’s natural sweet peach scent is bathed in the spice in Baekhyun’s cinnamon, complementing each other perfectly.

“Perfect,” Baekhyun pulls away before he gets the impulse to mark his neck too. That is a level of intimacy he doesn’t think either of them are ready for.

Jongdae is regarding him with curiosity in his eyes. “What do I smell like?”

“Peaches,” Baekhyun answers easily, corner of his mouth quirked. “You smell like peaches, sweet, and now you smell like me too.”

Jongdae’s resulting shy smile is more than endearing.

  
  


Baekhyun’s just a tiny bit drunk as he makes his way back to campus from a nearby bar. The cool air and the walk help sober him up a little. His pack and a few other friends had gathered at the bar for Yixing’s surprise birthday party. It was a huge success and it’s safe to say that Yixing cried into Junmyeon’s neck, very touched and very overwhelmed. Baekhyun had a great time but couldn’t immerse himself fully, not when thoughts of Jongdae alone in his dorm filled his head.

Of course, Baekhyun had invited him but he declined, stating that it was too soon and then promptly changed the subject. Baekhyun had let it go at the time, but he doesn’t feel comfortable leaving it at that. Hence why he is currently waiting at Jongdae’s door and not still partying it up with his friends. 

“Hey,” Jongdae says, letting him in with a small smile and a hug. He eyes the bag in Baekhyun’s hand. “What’s in the bag?”

Baekhyun feels sober within an instant as the smell of peaches engulfs his senses and sets his nerves alight. 

“Yixing’s birthday cake!” Baekhyun says enthusiastically. He does his usual routine of rubbing his cheek on Jongdae’s shoulders as he continues. “He told me to bring some to you. He wishes you were there.”

Instantly, Jongdae stiffens in his hold. He tries to step out of it but Baekhyun doesn’t let him completely, loosening it just enough so he could place both his hands on his shoulders. Baekhyun’s grip is firm but not constricting and when he speaks, his voice is soft, not accusing. 

“Hey, you know it’s okay right?” Baekhyun holds Jongdae’s gaze, seeing trepidation in the way his brows tilt softly, seeing his eyes shine with it too. “It’s okay that you didn’t come. When we started this I said that you call the shots, that if we needed to slow down, we would. That hasn’t changed.”

Jongdae takes in a heavy breath. Baekhyun can feel the way it shudders through his frame. 

“Thank you.” Jongdae’s voice is heavy with emotion, gratitude so, so genuine and all Baekhyun can do is take him into his arms once more. He channels all his reassurance into the hug and lightly kisses the slope of his shoulder.

“Anything for you.” Baekhyun is nearly surprised by how much he means it. He didn’t think he could possibly care more about Jongdae when he first met him, the initial feelings so intense, but here he is, growing fonder and fonder every single day. 

A little after, they migrate to the couch armed with forks to start devouring the incredibly delicious cake as an action movie plays on the tv. The cake is moist and Jongdae makes indecent sounds as he eats that make desire simmer in Baekhyun’s gut. Their thighs are pressed together, Jongdae’s nearly bare one, skin exposed by loose shorts, to Baekhyun’s jean clad one. The warmth radiating from Jongdae’s thigh is making it hard for Baekhyun to concentrate on the plot of the movie. He’s much more interested in observing Jongdae’s profile in the dim light: the curl of his long lashes, his sharp jaw.

There’s icing on the corner of his mouth and Baekhyun doesn’t even think. He leans over and licks it off. Jongdae jerks back at the sudden wetness and even Baekhyun blinks in surprise at the blatant loss of control over his instincts. 

“I’m sorr…” Baekhyun begins, but the intensity with which Jongdae regards him has his breath catching in his lungs and his mind going blank. Their faces are close and Jongdae leans in closer still until Baekhyun can feel his warm breath, could count every single one of his eyelashes if the lighting was just a tad brighter. His heart rushes in his ears in anticipation, in question. Between one second and the next, Jongdae’s curled lips are on his. 

He inhales sharply, stomach swooping, before he’s kissing back, hand coming to cup Jongdae’s cheek to tilt the kiss into something slicker. Jongdae tastes sweet, so, so sweet, like chocolate cake and vanilla icing and mate. It makes his very blood boil with desire, but, more than that, deep in his chest, his inner alpha is rejoicing. He’s finally, finally able to lick into his mate’s mouth the way he’d been dreaming of, finally able to hear the small sound jongdae makes when he sucks on his tongue.. 

Jongdae’s scent spikes at that, growing heavier as it’s laced with arousal, and Baekhyun groans as he’s assaulted with the tantalizing scent. Jongdae bites his bottom lip, sucking on it, now halfway in his lap. When they part, it’s with a slick sound. The sound of their panting fills the air and Baekhyun stares at gorgeous sight of Jongdae disheveled, cheeks flushed, lips red. He thumbs along a sharp cheekbone, heart stuttering at the way Jongdae leans into the touch. 

“Sleep over...Sehun is staying over at Zitao’s,” is what Jongdae breaks the silence with, voice low and breathy. Before his words can be misinterpreted, he adds, “Just to sleep.”

As if Baekhyun could ever say no to him.

“Of course,” Baekhyun tells him, mouth stretched into a grin. “Just to sleep.”

He’s just happy he’s allowed to lean in and kiss him after he agrees, soft, chaste and thankful. He stays over that night, just to sleep...and maybe make out a little too. 

* * *

As October shifts into the colder month of November, Baekhyun staying over becomes a regular occurrence. Jongdae has the place to himself on most weekends and random days throughout the week, Sehun sleeping over at his boyfriend Zitao’s more often than not. Jongdae still has yet to introduce Baekhyun to him but he’s avoiding it, just as he is avoiding meeting Baekhyun’s packmates, aside from Yixing of course. 

The colder weather has them staying in the comfort of Jongdae’s living room, often curled up in front of the TV. They're supposed to be just having a relaxing day in but Baekhyun has just cut his hair in a sleek undercut and Jongdae is more than a little tempted to tangle his fingers through it. Giving into that temptation is all too easy, especially when Baekhyun pulls him into his lap twenty minutes into the movie and acquaints himself with Jongdae's pretty mouth. Time is unimportant to them, not when they have a moment completely alone.

Baekhyun's hair is soft, silky, and when Jongdae tugs, he lets out the most delicious of groans. Jongdae uses his grip to tilt his head back, exposing Baekhyun's pale, pretty neck. He’s just about to put his mouth on it when Baekhyun pushes him away hard enough to put some space between them. 

“What’s wro—” Jongdae starts to ask but Baekhyun’s not looking at him. Rather his eyes are poised on the door. He follows Baekhyun’s line of sight to see Sehun standing in the doorway, the biggest shit-eating grin on his face. He immediately scrambles out of Baekhyun’s lap.

“So this is your new friend?” Sehun’s tone is smug. He draws out the word friend like the little shit he is, raising a brow. 

“Friend?” Baekhyun asks, hurt clear in his voice and it causes cold dread to curl in the pit of Jongdae’s stomach. The look on his face is even worse, gone is his usual grin or playful smirk, a shaky frown in its place. Jongdae has never hated a facial expression more.

“Wait, I can explain,” Jongdae’s grip on Baekhyun’s arm is pleading, the look in his eyes even more so. “Please.”

He can see the way Baekhyun hesitates before nodding. Jongdae takes that as his cue to stand.

“Not here,” He quickly shoots Sehun a look to make himself scarce. 

He takes Baekhyun by the wrist to his room, shutting the door behind them. It’s not the first time Baekhyun’s been in his room by far, but it’s the first time the air is so stifling with unwanted tension. Rather than cuddling or spooning, they’re sitting with a small space between them. The small space might as well be a large valley. Baekhyun’s face is carefully blank, demeanour closed off. Something ugly in Jongdae’s mind tells him that Baekhyun’s two seconds from leaving but his insecurities feel like they’re sticking to the walls of his throat, rendering him unable to speak. 

But Baekhyun doesn’t leave. Instead, he sighs, running his hand through the red strands Jongdae was gripping not long ago.

“You haven’t told Sehun about us?” He sounds resigned rather than accusing and Jongdae hates it, would much prefer anger to this.

Jongdae clenches his fingers in the loose fabric of his sleep pants. “I haven’t.”

Silence, and then:

“Does he even know I exist?”

“He doesn’t. Well,” Jongdae bites the inside of his cheek so hard he tastes blood. “I told him I was meeting a new friend but not that it was you.”

He can see that blow land, Baekhyun nodding sadly, and guilt festers in his gut, acrid and burning. 

“Are you ashamed of me? Is that it?” Baekhyun’s voice wobbles. Jongdae feels his heart drop to the floor. He’s up onto his knees in an instant, crossing the space between them.

“No, god no, Baekhyun I could never be,” He says with so much conviction, his voice goes hoarse with it. He brings his hands to cup Baekhyun’s face, holding it firmly enough to help get his point across. He physically feels as well as sees Baekhyun deflate, shoulders drooping, relief somewhat softening the worry on his face.

“Okay,” Baekhyun’s gaze is studying as he curls a hand around Jongdae’s thin wrist, thumbing over the delicate bone of his wrist. “So, tell me why I know about the fact that Sehun likes to call his boyfriends daddy yet he doesn’t even know my name?”

Jongdae wants to shrink away under the weight of Baekhyun’s scrutinizing look. He drops his hands from Baekyun’s face with a breath but Baekhyun brings the hand of the wrist he’s already holding into his lap, continuing his soothing caress. Jongdae focuses on the repetitive, grounding touch, on the warmth of Baekhyun’s hand.

He can’t keep avoiding this anymore, Jongdae realizes, not without hurting Baekhyun or himself or both of them in the process. At the very least, he owes Baekhyun an explanation. Baekhyun has been nothing but understanding the entire time they’ve known each other. His actions have been filled with consideration for Jongdae’s situation but Jongdae hasn’t always met him halfway, his head too filled with what ifs.

“At first—” Jongdae swallows to wet his dry throat, his voice coming out rough. Baekhyun squeezes his hand and he tries again. “At first, I was just overwhelmed. You waltzed into my life claiming we were mates and obviously I was skeptical. I didn’t know how to tell Sehun who you were to me, since I didn’t even know myself. But then, I spent more time with you and some of my doubts started to go away and,” A shaky breath, “things became more clear to me. Yet, I still couldn’t bring myself to tell him because if I did, I wouldn’t be able to lie about what you were to me. I wouldn’t be able to lie about how I feel about you.”

“Why would you feel the need to lie about how you feel about me?” Baekhyun’s voice is careful as if one small thing could have Jongdae running. His eyes shine with insecurity.

“Because I’m in love with you.” Jongdae’s voice trembles with it. Baekhyun inhales sharply at the confession, his hand suddenly clenching around Jongdae’s. Jongdae continues, “I’m in love with you and it terrifies me because you made me fall in love with you but what if the only reason you like me is the fact that I’m your mate? I don’t know. Maybe you’d rather another wolf or a girl but since I’m your mate, you have no choice in the matter—”

A low growl cuts Jongdae off. In the next second, Baekhyun is gripping Jongdae’s chin firmly between his index and his thumb so he can’t look away. 

“I don’t ever want to hear you say that I’d rather have someone else,” Baekhyun’s eyes are narrowed, irises red with anger. It’s the first time Jongdae’s seen his inner wolf manifest itself. While surprising, he knows Baekhyun would never hurt him. “I only want you Jongdae. If I had a choice, I would choose you every single damn time.”

Jongdae’s breath hitches at the vehemence with which Baekhyun speaks, at the words that cause his heart to stutter in his chest.

“I didn’t fall in love with you because you’re my mate Jongdae.” Baekhyun’s features soften. Jongdae feels like he can drown in his all consuming gaze, worries being soothed away little by little. “I fell in love with your smile, your laugh, the way you scold me for not dressing warmly, even though it would take a blizzard to make me freeze.” His voice shakes with emotion. “Even if you weren’t my mate, I promise you, given the chance, I’d fall in love with you all over again.”

The sudden onslaught of emotions that swells in Jongdae’s chest overwhelms him. He doesn’t think this time, just acts, throwing his arms around Baekhyun’s neck and surging up to kiss him. He’s never been good with words, much better at letting his drawings do the talking. This time, he tries to channel everything he feels into the kiss. Tries to channel all his regret, his fondness, his love, his relief into the press of his lips against Baekhyun’s. Baekhyun responds in kind, stealing the breath from Jongdae’s lungs.

Jongdae feels a hand wrap around his rib cage, feels the heat of it and he wonders if Baekhyun can feel the way his heart is pounding. The kiss turns wet quickly, Jongdae making a small noise as he licks into Baekhyun’s mouth. Then he’s being pushed, his back hitting the bed and Baekhyun crawling on top of him. He welcomes Baekhyun’s weight, biting on his lower lip and sucking on it.

“I’m sorry,” Jongdae whispers against his lips when they part. 

“Shh, there’s nothing to be sorry for,” Baekhyun shushes him with a soothing kiss. He pushes Jongdae’s dark hair out of his face. “This is new for both of us. Okay? Just promise me that you’ll try and talk to me. Anytime you’re feeling unsure, or scared. Just try.”

Jongdae looks up at Baekhyun, at his red eyes, pouty lips, his hair falling over his face and he doesn’t think he’s ever loved someone more.

“I promise,” Jongdae breathes and with that, the time for talking is over. All subjects are pushed aside in favour of bringing his mouth back to Baekhyun’s and swallowing his sighs. Then, lips are trailing from the corner of his mouth, his jaw to his neck, sucking bruises down the offered expanse of skin and drawing low moans.

His shirt is in the way of Baekhyun’s path. It sticks to his skin, the temperature rising with the tension. He’s quick to aid Baekhyun in ridding himself of it, throwing it somewhere on the bed. Now, he has never been especially body shy but the way Baekhyun eyes the newly bared skin, intense and hungry, makes a blush appear over his cheeks. Before Jongdae could say something about his staring, Baekhyun is dipping down once more, mouthing at his collarbone. 

His pants go next, Jongdae kicking them off. He groans when a hand sneaks its way under the waistband of his underwear to grab his cock. 

"Baekhyun," Jongdae whimpers as his underwear is coaxed down his thighs and he gets an unobstructed view of Baekhyun's hand around his cock. Baekhyun's fingers are long and pretty and they have made an appearance in Jongdae's fantasies multiple times. His fantasies pale in comparison to the way they look spreading pre-cum down the shaft to slicken the glide.

He throws his head back when Baekhyun dips into the slit with his thumb. J0ngdae’s stomach feels molten with pleasure, the simmer spiking when teeth close around his nipple.

“You smell so good,” Baekhyun’s voice is low and gravelly, tongue coming out to soothe where he bit. “So sweet.”

He sounds drunk, drunk on Jongdae’s scent, rutting against Jongdae’s thigh as he jerks him with quick flicks of his wrist. It would be easy to let things go on like this until they both cum, Jongdae in Baekhyun’s hand and Baekhyun in his pants but Jongdae wants to see too. 

“You too,” Jongdae breathes out, pulling at Baekhyun’s shirt so there’s no way to confuse what he means. Baekhyun tugs off his shirt and Jongdae feels punch-drunk by the sight of him, all broad shoulders, toned chest, a v in his hips that draws the eye downward...he wants to see that too.

“All of it.” Jongdae licks his lips in anticipation as Baekhyun chuckles and sheds his sweatpants and underwear in one swift move.

Baekhyun is back on him in a split second, biting Jongdae’s swollen bottom lip. “Happy now?”

“Very,” Jongdae reaches between them to wrap his hand around Baekhyun’s cock. It’s thick, hard, already leaking and it throbs in his grip as Baekhyun whimpers. He doesn’t have the patience to tease at the moment, so he jerks him tight and fast, twisting on the upstroke and thumbing under the head every so often. Seems like Baekhyun doesn’t have much patience either since he starts rutting into the tight ring of Jongdae’s fist. 

He buries his face into the crook of Jongdae’s neck, breath warm as he pants, licking at his pulse. 

“Fuck, Jongdae, Jongdae,” he says into the skin, weak desperate. Jongdae can feel his teeth grow sharper as he scrapes them along the length of his neck. He tilts his head to offer more skin for Baekhyun to mark and Baekhyun’s resulting moan is tortured, wanton. He feels a bulge form beneath his fingers at the base of Baekhyun’s cock...his knot? When he squeezes, he can feel it swell, can feel how Baekhyun’s body shudders at the action.

“Does that feel good?” He makes sure to angle his mouth so he’s whispering directly into Baekhyun’s ear. He can feel his own cock aching, leaking onto the flat plane of his stomach but he pushes aside his own arousal for now. His voice is low, tone filthy. “Do you like it when I play with your knot hyung?”

He squeezes it again, at the same time he calls Baekhyun hyung, and Baekhyun’s going rigid above him. His knot swells further, Baekhyun letting out a choked moan and then he’s coming, hot and wet all over Jongdae’s stomach and chest. Jongdae wonders if he could maybe cum from just Baekhyun shaking in his arms and moaning into his neck. 

“Fuck,” Baekhyun laughs, incredulous, when he recovers. His voice sounds wrecked. It reminds Jongdae of the need coursing through his veins, coursing through his cock. He nudges Jongdae’s cheek with his nose, guiding his mouth back to his. They kiss, filthy, debauched, like Baekhyun is trying to devour his every whimper, his every gasp and all Jongdae can do is give them to him. 

“Fuck,” Baekhyun repeats, drawing back and Jongdae wants to pull him in for another kiss just to have those red, slick lips on his again. Jongdae’s in awe of how gorgeous he is, sweaty, flushed, utterly, utterly gorgeous. “You’re dangerous.”

“Am I?” Jongdae’s voice goes airy as Baekhyun dips down to lick down his sternum, goosebumps breaking out beneath the wet touch of his tongue. 

“Hmm you are,” Baekhyun skips over his hard cock completely, ignoring the way it juts out, red, angry, begging to be touched, ignoring the devastated sound that falls from Jongdae’s lips. He kisses one thigh and then the other with a hint of teeth. 

“Please,” Jongdae begs, head spinning. He feels like he might melt out of his skin.

“Don’t worry baby. Hyung will take care of you,” Baekhyun caresses his hip bone. Jongdae trembles at the touch, flooded with warmth. It’s all the warning he gets before a mouth is around his cock, swallowing him down. Immediately, his hips jerk up into the heat and he throws his head back with a groan that tears from his throat. Baekhyun pins his hips down, throat fluttering around him.

“B-Baek,” Jongdae gets up on his elbows, mouth hanging open to watch Baekhyun take him down to the base and back up again to suck on the head. He knows he isn’t going to last long, not when he’s been hard for so long, not when Baekhyun’s lips look so pretty and red stretched around him, not when Baekhyun blows him like his cock is the best thing he’s ever tasted. “I’m close.”

Jongdae runs his fingers through Baekhyun’s hair, tangling them in the red strands. He grips slightly tighter as he feels the telltale coil in the pit of his belly wind tighter. He feels Baekhyun’s tongue flick under his head, feels the wetness, the heat of his mouth, feels saliva drip down his balls. It’s more than enough to have him arching and spilling down Baekhyun’s throat with a silent groan. 

He comes down to Baekhyun petting down his thigh, blinking blearily. 

“Come here,” Jongdae lifts his arms and Baekhyun fits himself between them, careful not to smear his own cum everywhere. They make out, dazed, spent, Jongdae tasting himself on Baekhyun’s tongue.

“I need a shower,” Jongdae grumbles afterwards, carefully lying down in a certain way so he doesn’t have to change the sheets too. He feels sticky and gross, his stomach and chest a mess.

“Later,” Baekhyun traces the hickies he’s sucked into Jongdae’s skin with a proud look on his face. “Let it soak in first. You’ll smell more like me. More like you’re mine.”

Jongdae masks the flutter he feels in his stomach at the words with a disgusted face. 

“Fine,” He says, in faux resignation. 

He manages to last another twenty minutes, Baekhyun distracting him with kisses, before he’s pouting at Baekhyun to let them go shower. Baekhyun can never say no to him when he pulls out the pout. 

  
  


“Baekhyun, what do I wear?” Jongdae calls out to his boyfriend as he hears the sound of the door to his dorm room opening. He had given Baekhyun the keys a few weeks ago given that he practically came and went as often as Jongdae did. Another motivator was that Jongdae didn’t even need to get off the couch to let him in for one of their movie nights. 

Currently, he’s in his room, going through his drawers in search of an outfit for Chanyeol’s—Baekhyun’s packmate—birthday party. 

“I think you look fine just like this,” comes Baekhyun’s smarmy drawl. Just like this meaning freshly showered and dressed in only a pair of tight, tiny black boxers. Jongdae could feel the weight of hungry eyes on him and it makes butterflies join the already present anxiety in the pit of his stomach.

“Oh really?” He looks over his shoulder with a smirk, feeling playful. Baekhyun leers at him from head to toe, following the line of his bare back to the curve of his ass and the shape of his thighs. “I mean I’m sure Yixing will appreciate my outfit.”

The mention of the other alpha wipes the hunger off Baekhyun’s face.

“No, no, absolutely not,” Baekhyun growls at the thought of Yixing seeing Jongdae in such a state of undress. The older alpha has taken to flirting with Jongdae if only to get a rise out of Baekhyun. He's also gone so far as to cup Jongdae's ass—with his permission of course. Being a self proclaimed ass connoisseur and Jongdae having a damn good ass,Yixing just couldn't help himself. Since that incident, Baekhyun's possessiveness has been at an all time high and all it takes is a mere mention of Yixing's flirty antics to get him bothered.

Jongdae enjoys pushing his buttons, just enough to have Baekhyun staking his claim in various ways. Pretty much all of them end up with the two of them sweaty, sticky and naked so it's a win in his book. But this time, his goal is to get dressed not undressed so he backs off a tad.

"Then help me figure out what to wear," Jongdae demands, turning around to walk into Baekhyun's arms and kiss the frown off his face. He steps away before Baekhyun can deepen the kiss but not without effort. He's meeting Baekhyun's pack for the first time tonight and he wants to make a good first impression. Showing up late is definitely not a way to make one, especially since their superior wolf noses would be able to tell exactly why they were late. 

Baekhyun pouts at being denied but grabs the messenger bag he placed on the bed when he walked in.

"I brought you an outfit because I knew you were going to stress over this and wanted to save you some time," He explains as he unzips his bag to grab carefully folded clothes.

Jongdae calls him out on his bullshit.

"You mean you brought me your clothes to wear so you can show off that I'm yours in any way you can."

"Aren't you though?" Baekhyun's grin is cheeky in a way that makes Jongdae want to either kiss it off his face or slap it off. Maybe both.

Jongdae just sighs, fighting a grin and holding out his hand. "Just give me the clothes."

  
  


The interior of the taxi is stifling for multiple reasons. One of them being the simple fact that the driver has the heating turned up high to fight the chill of a late November night. Jongdae can practically feel the sweat drip down his spine beneath his cozy winter jacket and the black v-neck Baekhyun picked out for him, making it stick to his skin. The arm Baekhyun has slung around his shoulder, pulling him close, doesn’t help since Baekhyun himself is a compact little furnace. His high body temperature is something that Jongdae usually loves, curling into him more and more often as winter rears its ugly head but now he can do without it. 

Putting some space between them would obviously provide some relief but Baekhyun’s touch is grounding. The weight of his arm along with the heat of his shoulder under Jongdae’s cheek is what’s keeping him from having a full on freak out in the back of this taxi. As it is, he’s maybe having only half of one, his mind churning out one scenario after another, all of them ending in Baekhyun’s packmates utterly hating him.

When the taxi finally drops them off in front of the bar, Jongdae has practically chewed his bottom lip bloody. He jumps in surprise when he feels a finger coax it from between his teeth, lost in thought. 

“Relax babe,” Baekhyun intertwines their fingers and it sends a surge of reassurance through Jongdae. His eyes are dark, smoked out in a haze of dark eyeshadow but they’re also warm, earnest. “They’ll love you. How can they not? You’re perfect.”

As if on command, Jongdae blushes causing Baekhyun’s grin to grow even wider.

“Shut up,” He sounds more breathless than he intended, gripping the lapels of Baekhyun’s stupidly sexy leather jacket and pulling him to his mouth. The kiss is one part thankful, one part desperate and he’s sure Baekhyun can feel the way his hands tremble. Every brush of their tongues unwinds the knot of anxiety in his gut bit by bit.

“Okay,” He sighs, breath warm against wet lips. He presses their foreheads together and closes his eyes for a deep breath. When he opens them, he pulls away with a hesitant grin. “Let’s go.”

Hand in hand, they head inside. They’re immediately hit by a wall of sound and heat the moment they step past the threshold. The music is loud but not loud enough to drown out the chatter of friends, couples, coworkers, all celebrating the start of the weekend. Jongdae lets Baekhyun lead the way, his superior wolf nose easily scenting out his packmates. They find them in the far corner, packed into a half-circle booth with dozens of empty bottles already filling the table. 

The way his pack is already looking in their direction when they squeeze through the crowd reminds Jongdae of how he can never quite manage to sneak up on Baekhyun. Not for lack of trying. Baekhyun always knows when he’s approaching, his senses fine tuned to his mate’s presence. Jongdae surmises that a pack might have the same awareness for each other as a wolf has for their mate.

“It’s about time you got here Baek,” One of them greets, grin large, showcasing too many teeth. His eyes fall on Jongdae and somehow, his grin widens even further. “And I see you finally brought your mate!”

“Shut up Yeol, I’m perfectly on time,” Baekhyun rolls his eyes. “And yes, I did, so do your best not to scare him away.”

He shoots Jongdae a discreet side grin and couples it with a tight squeeze of his hand. Baekhyun takes it upon himself to introduce everyone individually. First is Junmyeon-hyung, their leader. Then, Kyungsoo and the birthday boy Chanyeol, who Jongdae knows are mated. Finally Jongin, their youngest. Everyone is very welcoming, all smiles and waves. Though the undivided attention Jongdae’s receiving makes him want to squirm, it feels really nice to finally be able to put names to faces, having heard countless stories about them.

It’s only when they’ve squished into the booth, Jongdae between Baekhyun and Kyungsoo, do they notice someone is missing. 

“Hey, where’s Yixing hyung?” Baekhyun asks, looking around for said hyung and wrapping his arm around Jongdae’s waist as they get settled into their seats. 

“He’s with Han hyung at the bar, they’re getting more drinks,” Junmyeon answers easily, sipping on his own beer.

Jongdae recognizes that name as Yixing’s mate who he briefly met once or twice at the cafe. Their story is one that has always interested him, having listened to it, rapt, when Baekhyun recounted it one night. They knew they were mates from young but couldn’t actually mate until they were fully matured wolves. So until it was time, they agreed to have an open relationship and explore what was out there. Now, they’re happily mated but still tend to invite others into their relationship which strikes Jongdae as odd since wolves tend to be quite possessive when it comes to their mates. At least that’s what Jongdae has observed and experienced first hand. 

He’s pulled out of his thoughts by a deep voice addressing him.

“Do you want a drink?” Kyungsoo asks from beside him with a friendly quirk to his lips.

“Please,” Jongdae nods, eager for some alcohol to cut through his nerves. Kyungsoo pours him a shot of soju and he downs it easily. He takes the second shot too, the alcohol warming his belly almost immediately.

“Do you want some too?” He looks to Baekhyun, who’s leaning his head on his shoulder as he’s conversing with Junmyeon. Before he can answer, Kyungsoo cuts in with a snort.

“Baekhyun’s a baby and doesn’t like the taste of anything stronger than beer or cider,” Kyungsoo explains with a fond shake of his head. As the youngest of the four, he pours for Chanyeol too, who’s engaged in a deep conversation with Jongin but remains constantly aware of Kyungsoo. Chanyeol tangles their fingers together and kisses his hand in thanks, not even taking his eyes off of Jongin. 

Jongdae wonders if that is what he and Baekhyun look like to an outside observer, wonders if he and Baekhyun look as smitten, as in tune with one another.

“Sorry for actually wanting to enjoy what I drink,” Baekhyun grumbles, looking every bit like a child with his bottom lip pushed out in a pout. “It’s not my fault you guys like the taste of rubbing alcohol.”

“So, if I were to ask you to kiss me right now?” Jongdae can’t help the mischievous smile that spreads across his face, amusement leaking into his voice. He can very clearly taste the soju fresh on his tongue and Baekhyun would too if he kissed him.

Baekhyun quirks a brow in challenge. It’s all the warning Jongdae gets before he’s being dipped into a wet, open-mouthed kiss that has him swallowing a moan. Baekhyun kisses him like he’s trying to suck the taste of soju off his tongue while simultaneously turning him on to no end. 

“Nothing in the world would be able to stop me from kissing you,” Baekhyun whispers against his lips, dark eyes all but pulling Jongdae in. God, all Jongdae wants to do is crawl into his lap and make him groan. He vaguely registers the sound of cheering to the right of them as well as someone mimicking the sound of a whip through the blood rushing in his ears. 

He pushes Baekhyun away, his embarrassment dulling his arousal. He can feel his ears burning and is sure that, without a doubt, everyone can see how red they are. 

“You’re so cheesy,” Chanyeol quips, gagging. 

“Oh shut up,” Baekhyun spits back, glaring. “At least I didn’t show up outside of Jongdae’s dorm to serenade him with a song about his ‘heart-shaped smile’. I doubt it could get cheesier than that.”

Jongdae giggles behind his palm, thankful that attention has been pulled from them. He looks at Chanyeol in wonder as he blushes at being called out.

“I think he has you there Channie,” Kyungsoo laughs not unkindly, his heart shaped smile on full display. Chanyeol pouts but instantly brightens when Kyungsoo adds, “But I thought it was the sweetest thing ever.”

Baekhyun’s the one gagging now but Jongdae can’t help but find them cute. Yixing returns not much after, carrying a tray of shots and Han trailing after him with one of mixed drinks. 

“Jongdae!” Yixing greets with the brightest dimpled smile, setting the tray down on the table. “Baekhyun!”

He throws his arms around both of them to squeeze them within an inch of their lives. He finally pulls back to kiss their cheeks, his lips lingering on Jongdae’s cheek long enough for Baekhyun to push him away.

“Hands off,” Baekhyun growls, pulling Jongdae closer to his side. Any closer and Jongdae would be in his lap. Yixing simply blinks back innocently, handing Baekhyun a bottle.

“I got you your favourite Baekkie,” Yixing pats his head placatingly and that defuses Baekhyun quickly enough. 

Yixing and Han wiggle their way into the booth and from then on the night is a blur of laughter, clinks of bottles and shot glasses. Halfway through, Jongdae is well on his way to getting drunk, cheeks flushed and leaning heavily into Baekhyun’s side. His human body is much less adept at handling alcohol compared to a wolves’. Honestly, he’s surprised he’s been able to last this long with the rate he’s been drinking. He takes a moment to breathe through his lightheadedness. He’s just about to ask Baekhyun if they could go get some water when Baekhyun places a water bottle in his hand.

“You okay?” Baekhyun asks him, voice low, slowly rubbing his hand up and down Jongdae’s side. 

“Just need a break,” Jongdae murmurs back. He can feel the way he’s smiling so widely, his cheeks feel like they’re splitting. “Thank you.”

Maybe it’s the alcohol running in his veins or maybe it’s the love swelling in his chest but he finds himself leaning in to slot his mouth to Baekhyun’s pouty lips, swollen from being wrapped around a bottle all night. He’s not so drunk that he would allow things to go further than sucking the taste of cider off his tempting bottom lip but the taste and the feeling of Baekhyun’s pulse jump up at the small gesture is more than enough to have Jongdae’s toes curling in his shoes. 

This time, no one calls them out on their PDA, or rather, the one who would–Chanyeol–has gone to the washroom. Jongdae sips on his water, passively listening to the ebb and flow of the conversations around him. He only realizes he zoned out when a sudden touch to his forearm nearly makes him jump.

“Sorry,” Kyungsoo apologizes, grin sheepish, realizing he scared him. “I’m going to get Chanyeol’s gift. I forgot it in my car. I was wondering if you wanted to come.”

Despite the initial wave of anxiety that flows through him at the thought of being alone with Baekhyun’s best friend, fresh air sounds like exactly what Jongdae needs at the moment so he agrees. Getting out of the booth takes some maneuvering that seems a little much for Jongdae’s drunken brain to follow but he manages without stumbling. 

“I’m going to borrow Jongdae for a little while,” Kyungsoo laces his arm with Jongdae’s, steadying him. He shoots Baekhyun a teasing grin. “Don’t worry Baek~ I’ll bring him back in one piece.”

“You better,” Baekhyun mock threatens, narrowing his eyes. He sits back down, having stood to allow the two to pass. Jongdae simply giggles and blows him a kiss as they go.

The winter air is sharp, biting and it hits Jongdae like a slap in the face the second they step outside. His flushed cheeks tingle from the cold and he huddles into his jacket. The sudden change in temperature has him sobering up rather quickly. Kyungsoo’s car isn’t far, just across the street and it takes mere moments for Kyungsoo to grab a little envelope hidden in the passenger side compartment.

“I’m sure Chanyeol’s going to love it,” Jongdae comments honestly. 

The pack had put some money together for a gift card to Chanyeol’s favourite music store. From what Baekhyun has told him about Chanyeol: little anecdotes of the beta playing his drums at an hour so late Junmyeon threatened to throw them out the window and consulting Yixing for lyric writing advice, the two music composition majors, the gift would be perfect.

“I know, knowing him he might cry,” Kyungsoo laughs. “I’m not sure if Baekhyun told you but he put in some extra money in your name.”

Jongdae freezes.

“What? No he didn’t tell me.” His straight brows furrow. “ Why would he do that? I thought this was a gift from your pack.”

Kyungsoo studies him for a long moment. The atmosphere is silent enough Jongdae can hear his own heart in his ears, his own thoughts racing through his mind. A warm hand comes to rest over his, pulling him to the present moment. 

“Clearly, he considers you part of our pack,” Kyungsoo says seriously, “And he’s not the only one.”

All Jongdae can do is listen as Kyungsoo continues, his deep voice filling the air. Clearly, they’ve lost track of time as the next thing they know, the rest of the pack has come to join them outside.

“You said you were going to borrow him Soo, not keep him outside the rest of the night,” Baekhyun accuses with a pout. He wraps Jongdae up in a back hug Jongdae can’t help but sink into, his warmth and his presence making him sigh. 

Kyungsoo simply makes a teasing comment about Baekhyun being too attached while the rest of their pack voice their agreement, causing him to him sulk. Not that Kyungsoo can talk, he currently has a very giggly and tipsy Chanyeol clinging to him like an oversized blanket. As Kyungsoo predicted, Chanyeol soon turns into a very teary and tipsy oversized blanket once presented with his gift. 

His way of thanking everyone involves sniffing into their shoulder and vigorously scent marking them. Jongdae watches Baekhyun get pulled into a tight hug and laughs from the sidelines. He isn’t expecting Chanyeol to come for him next. The next thing he knows, he’s being hugged so tightly he fears his ribs might break and lifted from the ground. 

“Thank you Dae,” Chanyeol cries into his shoulder and Jongdae feels warm. “You’re my new favourite human. I’m so happy to have finally met my best friend’s mate.”

When Jongdae is put down, he feels a little teary eyed himself, especially when Chanyeol rubs his cheek on his shoulder and scent marks him too, scent marks him like he did his own pack, like he considers Jongdae pack. He moves on to hug the life out of Yixing next but Jongdae is rooted in place, mind still trying to process what just happened. Baekhyun returns to his previous position of hugging Jongdae from behind. 

“Stop overthinking it,” Baekhyun tells him softly, kissing the slope of his shoulder, right over where Chanyeol placed his scent mark. Jongdae turns slightly in his hold and sees nothing but fondness on Baekhyun’s face. 

By the end of the night, Jongdae has been properly marked by every member of the pack whether by a small swipe of their thumb over the pulse point of Jongdae’s wrist or following Chanyeol’s example and rubbing their cheek on his shoulder when they hug him goodbye.

While Jongdae is still trying to process their easy acceptance, Baekhyun seems ecstatic, frantically pressing him to Jongdae’s bed. 

“I told you to stop overthinking,” Baekhyun murmurs, lips slick over Jongdae’s pulse as he sucks marks into his smooth skin. 

“I can’t just—” a small gasp as Baekhyun thumbs over his nipple. “I can’t just stop thinking. Your pack...they marked me as one of their own. It’s a big deal.”

Baekhyun kisses his way back up to Jongdae’s mouth, sucking on his bottom lip. He cups Jongdae’s face with both of his hands carefully, as if he were holding the most precious thing in the universe. Jongdae stares at his dark eyes, makeup still intact and he swears he might drown in them. 

“Our pack,” Baekhyun corrects. It has Jongdae’s heart swelling in his chest. “Of course they would. I told you that they would all love you. I would never lie to you.”

He allows his fingers to caress over Jongdae’s shoulders, down to the pulse point on his wrist. All the while, he looks at Jongdae intently, red bleeding into the dark brown of his irises. Jongdae blushes under the attention, choosing not to address the blatant praise. 

“What do I smell like?” Jongdae asks, voice shaky, wondering how his scent has changed now that it’s been layered with so many others.

Baekhyun’s grin is sharper than usual, incisors sharper as his inner alpha makes itself known. But his expression is soft, full of love and fondness. 

“You smell like home,” Baekhyun breathes out then he leans in to slot his lips to Jongdae’s curled ones and steal the breath from his lungs. As Jongdae licks into his mouth, kissing back with just as much fervour, just as much desperation, he can’t help but think that Baekhyun is home. Baekhyun is home, is his mate, his everything and he doesn’t need a Wolf Moon to confirm what he already feels in his soul. 

* * *

This year’s Wolf Moon falls on a Friday so the couple planned to spend the respective weekend at the pack’s secluded cabin. Pack living allows for little privacy, what with six wolves living in the same space, sharing all the appliances, food and even their clothes. Their cabin serves as a place to spend one’s rut or heat in relative privacy or even to simply take some time for oneself. Baekhyun considers it the perfect location to take Jongdae for such a monumental occasion. 

The drive to the mountains isn’t long, a mere 2 hours. Baekhyun borrows Junmyeon’s car and insists on driving the entire way. Jongdae makes for the best company, connecting his phone to the speakers and filling the silence with his melodic voice. Baekhyun sings along to a dramatic ballad, Jongdae harmonizing with him, using a water bottle as a microphone. Sadly, he needs to keep his eyes on the road and not on Jongdae’s pretty laughing face when Baekhyun’s voice unexpectedly cracks during a high note.

The laughter helps soothe the antsy feeling growing beneath Baekhyun’s skin as nightfall approaches slowly but surely. He feels a stirring deep within him, tasting the way the air crackles with the impending Wolf Moon. The warmth of Jongdae’s hand seeping through the fabric of his sweatpants and his scent filling the car is enough to keep his urges at bay, at least for now. 

He pulls up into the cabin’s driveway just around dinner time. The cabin is large enough to house their pack and a few more people. He can see how eagerly Jongdae gets out of the car, bouncing on his feet with the intent to explore. 

Baekhyun can’t help but grin at the adorable display before him but he can’t linger long, distracted by more urgent matters. 

“Jongdae, take the keys and go inside. I just need to take a look around.” The face he’s making must be terrible because Jongdae doesn’t argue, simply catching the keys that are thrown to him.

Need to make sure you’re safe, his mind supplies.

“Don’t take too long,” Jongdae says and walks up the staircase leading to the main entrance. Baekhyun ensures he’s inside, the door closed behind him, to give in to his instincts to make sure the territory is safe for his mate. He isn’t the only wolf spending their moon in these woods and he’d sooner tear their throats with his fangs than let them anywhere near Jongdae. Not that it’s truly a common danger, but no precaution is too great when it involves his mate. 

Time is a concept he isn’t sure of as he taps into his inner wolf and allows all his dominant pheromones to fill the area, marking trees, rocks, all along the perimeter he’s set. The sun is setting, the sky an array of yellows that melt into oranges, oranges that melt into reds, when he hears the crunch of snow behind him. He knows instinctively that it’s Jongdae. 

“Let's go inside babe,” Jongdae’s comforting voice follows and forces Baekhyun’s eyes from the sky he hadn’t even realized he’d been staring at. “I warmed us up something to eat.”

Now satisfied with the safety of the area, he lets Jongdae pull him inside the cabin, their fingers intertwined. 

Despite the fact that the food looks and smells delicious, Baekhyun can't eat. His stomach is in knots. He pushes around the lasagna Kyungsoo cooked for them and Jongdae reheated. He chews on his bottom lip with teeth that are already beginning to sharpen. He never enjoyed the lead up to the Wolf Moon, never enjoyed feeling so out of his depth, so out of control. The feeling is akin to his inner alpha trying to claw its way out rather than the usual seamless way he transforms as if they are two beings melding into one.

“You don’t have to force yourself if you’re not hungry,” Jongdae tells him softly, running his hand up and down Baekhyun’s exposed forearm. Baekhyun sighs, setting down his fork. He can feel the beginnings of a headache building in his skull. 

“Come nap with me,” His voice has a tired edge to it. He knows the drill, having gone through many Wolf Moons, and napping beforehand is a way to avoid the unpleasant pre-transformation state. 

Jongdae considers the request for the briefest of moments. “Okay, I’ll just...clean up later.”

Baekhyun all but drags him to the bedroom. The bed is soft and warm when they climb under the covers and he doesn’t even realize he’s shaking until Jongdae is pulling him onto his chest.

“Shhh,” Jongdae pets him, running his hand through his soft hair and Baekhyun just deflates at the sensation. He inhales shakily, nosing at Jongdae’s collarbone. The scent of mate fills his lungs, his head, rounding the sharp edges of his headache and the tension in his muscles. Tightening his grip on Jongdae’s waist and burying his face further into his chest, he makes a small pleased sound.

“Sleep,” Jongdae’s voice vibrates beneath his ear. “I’ll be here when you wake up.”

The fingers in his hair are calming, brushing against his scalp, down to the shorter hairs on the nape of his head. Over and over again. 

“Love you,” Baekhyun mumbles into the soft cotton of the shirt beneath his lips, sleep already clutching at his ankles. He doesn’t hear Jongdae’s response, lulled further into sleep by the peaceful sound of a heartbeat beneath his ear. 

  
  


Baekhyun wakes to an ache so deep, it anchors itself into the very marrow of his bones. His groan of pain is inaudible beneath the rush of blood in his ears. He can tell it won't be long now, not with the way he's practically vibrating out of his skin, blood burning in his veins. 

The room is dark, save for the tiny sliver of light peeking through thick curtains. He forces himself up off of Jongdae, who is still sleeping soundly, soft puffs of breath escaping slightly parted lips. With a reverent caress to Jongdae’s high cheekbone, he stands on shaky legs. Every step he makes towards the window cause his muscles to protest, his joints to creek. The moonlight burns as it touches his skin yet the call, the longing in his body for the moon is too insistent to ignore. He throws the curtain open and there the moon sits in all its glory, in the night sky, silver, round and full.

His vision blurs and he barely registers hitting the ground with a dull thud. God, he aches, his bones trembling, a dry sob escaping him as his body prepares for an involuntary change. All he can do is cling to the carpet, tearing into it with claws rather than nails as he tries to breathe through it. A searing heat suffuses his skin and sweat drips down the curve of his spine. 

Then, a cool touch on his shoulder causes him to sigh in relief. He’s pulled into the source coolness, surrounded by the feeling of sinking into an icy lake on a hot day. The pain all but melts away, the need to answer the call erased and replaced by a different need, one more powerful, all encompassing: to stay in his mate’s arms. 

* * *

Jongdae isn’t sure how long he sits there, holding Baekhyun close as he shakes. He feels uncomfortably hot as Baekhyun's abnormally high temperature bleeds through the thin cotton of Jongdae’s shirt. He runs his hand down Baekhyun’s spine to soothe him and is made aware of the way Baekhyun’s clothes stick to him with sweat. He considers helping him remove it, wanting him to be as comfortable as possible, but the moment he moves the slightest bit, Baekhyun tightens around him with a distressed sound. 

“Hey, hey, love, I’m not going anywhere.” Jongdae swallows back a hiss as fingers dig into his skin with bruising strength . He places multiple kisses on Baekhyun’s hair as he tries to calm him down. “I’m right here Baek. Right here, with you. I’m not leaving.”

He relaxes as Baekhyun does, the latter’s death grip loosening. Baekhyun breathes harshly against Jongdae’s skin, nose buried in the crook of his neck. He inhales deeply, like he always does when they’re alone. It’s as if he’s trying to drown himself in Jongdae’s scent, as if he’s trying to fill his senses with Jongdae and only Jongdae. With each inhale Jongdae feels him relax a little more.

‘The touch of your mate could bring you back even mid-shift.’

Baekhyun’s words come back to Jongdae now as he’s petting Baekhyun’s hair, not a centimeter between them, calming him down from a near-transformation. A near-transformation that Jongdae brought him back from. Not that he doubted that he could; his doubts about being Baekhyun’s mate haven’t been an issue for a while now. 

How could they be when he’s so utterly in love with Baekhyun? When he’s so utterly loved in return? 

How could they be when Baekhyun has done everything in his power to reassure him, to prove his devotion, his patience?

How could they be when he holds Baekhyun in his arms and nearly trembles himself because Baekhyun is his entire world?

Baekhyun is his sun, his moon, his stars, the one he wants to see in the morning and kiss the coffee off his lips, the one he wants to hold and be held by under the covers when the world is asleep but they’ve never felt so awake. He’s everything and Jongdae knows it—knew it—in his soul that he is—was always—his mate.

The Wolf Moon simply confirmed what he already knew and now, in the aftermath, he relishes in the fact that he was right. Mumbled words draw his attention, the hand in Baekhyun’s hair pauses. 

“Hmm?” Jongdae prompts softly. “Did you say something Baek?”

“Promise?” Baekhyun’s voice is a little clearer now, only slightly muffled, his mouth moves against Jongdae’s skin but Jongdae can make out the word.

“What?” Jongdae’s brows furrow in confusion, unsure of what Baekhyun means but then it hits him, remembering his earlier words.

Oh. 

“Of course,” No one can blame Jongdae for the surge of emotions that makes his voice tremble. “I’m not going anywhere Baekhyun. I promise,” A kiss to Baekhyun’s temple, “I’m your mate for life, remember?”

Baekhyun freezes in surprise for a second, then he’s shifting in Jongdae’s hold with shaky limbs to straddle his legs. He gazes at Jongdae in wonder, eyes gleaming red beneath dark lashes. Jongdae swears he’s never seen someone so beautiful. He pushes Baekhyun’s hair back from where it sticks to his forehead, damp with sweat.

“Say it again,” Baekhyun tells him, breathless, desperate but stern.

Jongdae grins, feeling his chest swell with overwhelming love for him. He never thought it would feel so right to utter a few words. Never thought they could hold so much weight. 

“I’m your mate,” he repeats. He sees Baekhyun try to register what he just said, eyes widening, breath hitching. He can feel Baekhyun’s pulse race beneath the palm he has resting on his chest. 

“Again.” 

“I’m your mat—” Jongdae is cut off by hands coming to tilt his face into a deep, bruising kiss. His gasp is swallowed by an eager mouth. He’s equally as eager, curling his fingers into the fabric of Baekhyun’s shirt, brushing his tongue along Baekhyun’s bottom lip. He licks into his mouth with a desperation that makes the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. 

In the moment, there is no one but the two of them. Two mates, both utterly consumed by the other’s mere presence. 

“You’re everything,” Baekhyun whispers to Jongdae as he rids him of his shirt. 

Maybe it’s the sudden exposure to the cool air or maybe it’s the reverence with which Baekhyun speaks, punctuating his declaration with a kiss to his jaw that has goosebumps skittering down Jongdae’s spine. Jongdae responds by pulling him into a real kiss and then pulling Baekhyun’s shirt off too, dragging his nails along skin. 

The pleased sound Baekhyun lets out as Jongdae sucks his own little marks of possession down the column of his throat is more than enough to have Jongdae hardening in his sweatpants. Baekhyun notices immediately, grinding down. The perfect friction has Jongdae muffling a moan into the skin beneath his lips.When Baekhyun does it again, Jongdae shudders, digging blunt nails into his skin. 

“Fuck,” Jongdae laughs incredulously, his cheek against a bare shoulder, licking at the marks he made as pleasure flows through him. “You need to be naked like right now.”

“You first,” Baekhyun says with a smirk. He pushes Jongdae down onto the carpeted floor and runs his hands down his chest appreciatively, before pulling off his sweatpants and underwear in one go. Jongdae’s cock is hard, jutting out from his body and curving towards his belly ever so slightly. He can already feel himself leaking and the way Baekhyun stares at it in hunger makes it grow even harder.

“Are you going to do something?” Jongdae huffs, more embarrassed than exasperated at the attention. 

“What do you want me to do?” Baekhyun says, voice deep as he crawls over Jongdae to suck on his bottom lip.

“I want you to fuck me,” Jongdae admits so bluntly, it has Baekhyun pausing. He wraps his slim legs around Baekhyun’s waist and pulls him close, his bare ass rubbing on Baekhyun’s still clothed hard on. Tilting his head to press his lips to the shell of his ear, he speaks, “I want you to fuck me and then I want you to knot me.”

Baekhyun grinds his hips forward instinctively, dragging his clothed cock against Jongdae’s bare one and tearing twin groans from both of them. He drops his forehead onto Jongdae’s shoulder, panting into his skin. 

“I always knew you were going to be the death of me,” He takes a moment to restart his brain. When he can finally form a coherent thought, he raises his head to look at Jongdae, his expression oddly serious. “Love, your body isn’t made to take my knot. We would have to work up to it. I don’t want to hurt you.”

“We—we don’t need to work up to anything,” Jongdae says, feeling his face grow hot with embarrassment. Baekhyun staring at him so intently, waiting for him to elaborate, isn’t helping the flush on his cheeks. “I’ve been fingering myself...every night,” he explains, reluctantly.

“Baby,” Baekhyun says, one part in disbelief, two parts turned on beyond belief. “Fuck you’re perfect.”

He kisses him so deeply, Jongdae is sure his heart stops for a moment.

“I brought lube in my bag,” Jongdae gasps out against pouty lips when they part. 

One moment Baekhyun is gone and then the next thing he knows, his thighs are being nudged apart and kisses are being placed along his neck. The touch of lips and slight brush of tongue is not without purpose, he realizes with a flutter of his lashes and a sigh: Baekhyun is kissing every mark that taints Jongdae’s skin, every mark that he himself put there. A fresh one beneath his collarbone from just last night. Another on the side of his ribs from last week, nearly faded. Anticipation builds in his gut, spiking as long fingers skim the sensitive skin of his inner thighs. 

He can feel himself tremble with every tantalizing touch, can feel his cock start to leak on his quivering stomach as Baekhyun works his way down his body. But his cock is ignored entirely. Instead, Baekhyun slides his hands beneath Jongdae’s thighs, grabs them and raises them higher until.. 

“Oh fuck.” Jongdae can feel his face burn and his heart race as he’s completely exposed. His head spins as he realizes what Baekhyun is about to do. “Baekhyun.”

The first kiss to the tender inside of his thigh feels like it could sear his skinteasing, just shy of where he wants it. He isn’t even aware of the fact that he’s tilting his hips to chase the heat of Baekhyun’s mouth until he hears Baekhyun laugh, his hot breath washing over the sensitive skin.

“Eager,” Baekhyun comments, and Jongdae opens his mouth to retort, but it dies on his tongue as he feels a sloppy wet kiss on his rim. A gasp escapes him instead, morphing into a moan when the kiss is followed by a broad lick, tongue dragging along the hole. Baekhyun pulls him closer still, spurred on by Jongdae's obvious pleasure and begins to eat him out with fervour, fingers digging into the soft flesh of Jongdae's thighs.

The wet filthy noises between his thighs make Jongdae's skin burn, toes curling in the air. It feels better than he could have ever imagined; Baekhyun’s tongue hot and wet, lapping at his hole and then pushing inside. He finds himself grinding back onto Baekhyun’s tongue, chasing the heady pleasure. 

“Feels so good,” Jongdae groans out, cock dripping more precum onto his tensed abs. Baekhyun hums in acknowledgment and the resulting vibrations have Jongdae breathing through a curse. It’s all too easy for Baekhyun to slip a tentative finger into him but Jongdae shakes his head; it’s not enough to satisfy the itch of arousal in his veins.

“More. Give me another.”

Two of Baekhyun’s fingers curl so nicely inside him they have him clenching around them, thighs shaking. Three fingers are accompanied by a stretch so satisfying he thinks he could cum just from that. He tells Baekhyun so, lazily rocking back onto his fingers as they fuckhim.

“I want to see it, wanna see you cum for me.” Baekhyun’s voice is akin to gravel yet it slides down his spine like warm honey. He looks like all of Jongdae’s most sinful fantasies come to life, shoulders broad, collarbones sharp, erection clearly straining in the thin fabric of his sweatpants. Want curls in Jongdae’s gut. 

“Not like this,” He digs his teeth into the plush flesh of his bottom lip at a particular maddening curl of long slim fingers. “Hurry up. Give me another finger then get in me.”

“Bossy,” Baekhyun teases with a smirk but it’s shaky around the edges. He softly caresses his thigh. “Wait, I don’t want to do this here.”

He removes his fingers, leaving Jongdae feeling strangely empty then grabs Jongdae’s thighs, wrapping them around his waist. 

“Hold on,” He tells Jongdae before he stands up, lifting him with ease. Jongdae is quick to wrap his arms around Baekhyun’s neck and his stomach swoops at the obvious strength being displayed. The next moment he’s carefully deposited on the bed, breathless as he sinks into the soft blanket. Baekhyun leans back to add more lube to his fingers and the click of the cap sends shivers down Jongdae’s spine. 

The fourth is a bit more of a stretch, enough for Jongdae to have to breathe through the slight burn but Baekhyun used enough lube for it to leak down his wrist and the curve of Jongdae’s ass, onto the sheets below, easing the glide. 

“This okay?” Baekhyun places a kiss on the soft skin of Jongdae’s thigh, petting down his side. 

Jongdae hums in confirmation, butterflies fluttering in his stomach at the obvious concern behind Baekhyun’s actions. 

“I just did this—fuck—last night,” He shoots Baekhyun a dirty smirk. “Thought about you, thought about you fucking me open—” He isn’t sure if the following groan is his own or Baekhyun’s or maybe both, “thought about you claiming me.”

Baekhyun stills at this, looking at Jongdae with wide eyes.

“You want me to—you want me to claim you?” His voice pitches higher near the end, a clear result of his disbelief, as if Jongdae wanting to seal their bond as mates was something he never expected to be voiced. 

“Of course,” Jongdae’s brows tilt softly, he reaches down to tangle his fingers with the hand caressing his hip bone. “We’re mates and I love you. I want to be yours,” a squeeze of his hand and a small half grin, “...officially.”

He’s expecting the sudden all consuming kiss, melting into the familiar brush of tongue, into the familiar taste. He isn’t expecting the purposeful curl of fingers into his prostate, causing him to break the kiss with a keen. 

“I love you so fucking much,” Baekhyun licks along his throat and Jongdae feels dizzy with pleasure, with love, with need. 

“Roll over,” Jongdae grits out, voice rough with arousal. Baekhyun doesn’t question him, he simply removes his fingers and rolls over onto his back. For a second, Jongdae feels so empty he could die, fluttering around nothing. But that feeling is quickly solved by straddling Baekhyun’s hips and positioning himself so the head of Baekhyun’s cock, steadied by his hand, is pressing at his rim.

He sinks down without any more preamble. Baekhyun feels thick and long, what with gravity pushing him down until he’s impossibly deep it has Jongdae dropping his head back with a groan when his ass finally meets hip bones. Baekhyun’s hands, one still wet with lube, fly to grab Jongdae’s hips. Eyes half-lidded, Jongdae appreciates the feeling of being filled by a hot cock, appreciates the look of bliss on Baekhyun’s face, pouty, red lips parted around breathy pants.

“Enjoying the view?” Baekhyun raises an eyebrow half obscured by his sweaty fringe. 

Jongdae hums in agreeance, “The best view I’ve ever seen.”

Baekhyun quirks the corner of his mouth and brings his hands lower to grab two handfuls of Jongdae’s perky ass, “Pretty sure mine’s better.”

Jongdae arches into the touch with a needy sound and decides that he’s done with all this talking, tempted to wipe the smirk right off Baekhyun’s face. He raises himself until Baekhyun’s cock is halfway out, every inch pleasurable enough to make him dig his teeth into his bottom lip, and then drops down. 

“Fuck, you feel so good,” Baekhyun moans, hands returning to Jongdae’s slim hips as the latter uses his thick thighs to start fucking himself on Baekhyun’s cock. Jongdae rides him with fervour, strung out from being prepped so meticulously, from the wetness of Baekhyun’s tongue and the stretch of his fingers. The drag of his cock inside of him is delicious, torturous, angling his hips in a way that has him choking on a whine. 

He’s not expecting Baekhyun to thrust his hips on the next drop down and fuck, it drives his cock so deep, drives the breath from his lungs and a tortured groan from his throat. 

“Please,” Jongdae begs, only he doesn’t even know what he’s really begging for. His thighs ache and sweat drips down his spine but he can feel himself start to unravel bit by bit so he chases that sensation with desperation. 

“I got you,” Baekhyun’s voice is soothing, strained and he seems to know exactly what Jongdae needs, wrapping his hand around his leaking cock to jerk him off. The dual sensation of a hand around him, thumbing under the head of his cock, dipping into the slit and the drag of Baekhyun’s cock over his prostate is enough to have him coming with a high moan. He spills into Baekhyun’s fist and onto toned abs. Baekhyun works him through it, twisting his wrist until the frantic motion of Jongdae’s hips ceases and Jongdae shakes, overcome with pleasure. 

Jongdae barely even has time to breathe through the rush in his veins before his world is tilting as Baekhyun flips them over, wrapping shapely thighs around his waist and driving into him hard. The groan he lets out is nothing short of tortured, the stimulation too sharp, too soon, too sudden. Baekhyun pauses in concern. 

“No, no, keep going,” Jongdae urges, begs, tongue swiping out to licks his bitten lips. 

Baekhyun dips down to capture those lips in a messy kiss before he thrusts into Jongdae smoothly. Jongdae gasps into the wetness of Baekhyun’s mouth as Baekhyun fucks him with an urgency that makes every single one of his nerve endings burn. He runs his tongue along sharpened incisors and drags his nails down Baekhyun’s shoulder blades, drowning in pleasure. Their bodies find a rhythm, Jongdae rocking his hips back to meet Baekhyun’s thrusts forward, losing themselves in the heat of their bodies, the drag of sweaty skin, the feeling of close, close, so fucking close. 

A particular angle tears a shudder from Jongdae, his body arching through a keen, breaking their kiss as he throws his head back into the sheets. Through the rush of blood in his ears, he hears a low groan and then a mouth is at his neck, sucking at the now exposed skin.

“You’re mine,” Baekhyun rasps, licking along a taut tendon, scraping his sharp teeth ever so slightly along the skin, “My mate.”

“Yes, all yours,” Jongdae agrees, wholeheartedly, completely. Suddenly, he feels Baekhyun’s knot swelling, filling him, and all he can do is arch back onto it. Small whimpers escape Baekhyun, slightly muffled as he buries his face in the crook of Jongdae’s neck. “Yes hyung—knot me,”Jongdae croons into his ear.

With a growl, Baekhyun slams forward mercilessly, pushing any coherent thought out of Jongdae’s mind as he’s fucked deep and hard, short rapid thrusts that offer no reprieve, no time for him to catch his breath. The brutal pace continues until Baekhyun’s knot grows too large for him to pull out. Jongdae’s mouth drops open into a soundless gasp, the stretch a pleasurable burn. He’s so full, so damn full, and the pleasure of it all has his cock filling, straining once more 

Everything is too much: The tiny rocking motion Baekhyun is making with his hips, grinding his knot inside Jongdae, right up against his prostate. The subtle rub of Jongdae’s aching, weeping cock on the ridges of Baekhyun’s abs. The wrecked moans that fall from Baekhyun’s tongue and act like a shot of arousal in Jongdae’s veins.

Jongdae clenches around Baekhyun with a whimper, overwhelmed and that’s all it takes—

He hears a low growl and white hot pain fills his senses as teeth sink into his shoulder. A second later, Baekhyun shudders above him and he’s being filled with hot cum. Pain and pleasure roar in his veins and he’s gone. With a guttural groan, he’s overtaken by his orgasm, body going taut, thighs squeezing around Baekhyun’s waist like a vice, arms clinging to Baekhyun’s shoulders like they're his last grip on sanity. 

The aftershocks are all encompassing and he trembles as they flow through him, his orgasm ebbing slowly. He comes down, body slumping into the mattress, to a tongue laving at his shoulder, soothing the sting, licking away the blood with reverence. He brings up a hand to card through soft red hair, cupping the back of Baekhyun's head and sighing in content.

“I love you,” Jongdae breathes out into the air, utterly blissed out. A warmth thrums beneath his skin, stemming from deep in his core and he instinctively knows it’s their bond.

“God, I love you so much,” Baekhyun whispers back, placing a farewell kiss on the claim mark that’s already beginning to heal. It will fade eventually into a scar slightly lighter than Jongdae’s skin, a physical representation of their bond as a mated pair, of their love, their devotion.

When he kisses Jongdae, it’s with a carefulness, a tenderness and it has Jongdae sighing, melting into the sheets. He holds Baekhyun with the same carefulness, the same tenderness because he’s the most precious person to him.

Because he’s home. 


End file.
